Tag: Perussuomalaiset

Abdirahim Husu Hussein gives the PS on Ylen aamu-tv a taste of their own toxic medicine

Posted on by Migrant Tales

After near-constant hostile labeling of Muslims, Somalis and other people of color in Finland by the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, it is a positive sign that people are speaking out.

One of these persons who has been in the news is Helsinki city councilperson Abdirahim Husu Hussein. Watching him deflect the usual rhetoric from people, who like servile migrants but who are up in arms if they speak their minds, was empowering to say the least. Hussein did not budge but kept true to his stand about the PS being a racist party.

The media is one crucial factor that has helped Hussein get national attention after he tweeted that the PS, its voters, and supporters are racist.

“The aim [of my tweet] was not to provoke on purpose,” he was quoted as saying on Ylen aamu-tv, “but to bring this debate that we need to happen. In my opinion, we hide from such a debate, and we don’t debate it except for one party and one group that [aims to] normalize the amount of hate speech and racism [in society].”

PS Nurmijärvi councilperson Maiju Tapiolinna offered in today’s TV interview as in her past tweets why racism is an issue in her party.

I have learned from years of experience as an anti-racism activist that the best people to point out their racism is usually themselves.

As in her tweet, Tapiolinna tells Hussein that he should leave the country if he thinks that Finland is such a racist country. In a previous tweet, she gave an ultimatum to Hussein: “Somalis should leave the country if they don’t integrate.”

Taipiolinna asked Hussein how can someone be racist if that person doesn’t know what the word means.

Watch the interview (in Finnish) here.

“I want to encourage migrants [and minorities] to speak out if they have gone through what I have [as a person of color],” he told Migrant Tales by phone, adding that Finland needs a long-overdue debate about the role of racism in this society.

* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform has wiped off the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament plummet from 18 MPs to none. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.

Why was former PM Sipilä’s government so xenophobic? Will the new government change matters?

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Only MP Ozan Yanar, Jani Toivola and for about two years Nasima Razmyar, or 1.5% of all 200 MPs during the 2015-2019 term, were the only visible minorities in parliament. In the present 2019-2021 term, matters aren’t much better: Bella Forsgrén and Hussein al-Taee, who is on sick leave, are the only MPs who are visible minorities.

While there are many reasons why former Prime Minister Juha Sipilä’s government was one of the most hostile towards visible migrants, especially Muslim asylum seekers, the Islamophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* played a crucial role in the government’s tightening of immigration policy and bolstering Finland’s hostile environment.

A group picture of Finland’s MPs taken in 2017. Can you spot a minority? Source: Eduskunta.

With the last parliamentary election in April, new hope arose when the Social Democrats, Green League, Center Party, Left Alliance, and Swedish People’s Party formed a new government.

Even if there is hope that this government will be less xenophobic than the previous one, all of the ministers in Prime Minister Rinne’s government are white. One positive matter, however, is that 11 of the 19 ministers are women.

Can you spot a minister that isn’t white in Prime Minister Antti Rinne’s government? Source: Yle.

So what do these two pictures tell us?

They clearly state that there is too little if no minority representation in parliament as MPs and in the government as ministers.

Am I hopeful that matters will change for the better during Prime Minister Rinne’s government?

Experience has taught me to see deeds first and then offer an opinion later.

* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform has wiped off the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament plummet from 18 MPs to none. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.

White Finnish media story of the day: Is media coverage of Muslims usually negative?

Posted on by Migrant Tales

THIS STORY WAS UPDATED

With the rise of Islamophobia in Europe, one culprit culprit is the media. In the United Kingdom, 59% of coverage of Muslims had a negative theme, according to The Guardian, which cites The Muslim Council of Britain. If a national media has an appetite for biased news reporting of Muslims, it gives politicians and hate groups a lot of space and power.

Writes The Guardian: “The study [by the Muslim Council of Britain] found the Mail on Sunday had the most negative coverage of Islam, with 78% of its stories featuring Muslims having negative themes – above an already-high industry average of 59%.”

If one did a similar study in Finland, would it show the same results as in Britain? Taking into account the rise of Islamophobia in Finland through parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, one would think that such a study would be necessary in understanding the rise of far-right populism.

This billboard from 1996 tells its readers of the big news: The Somalis are going to make Finland their home. Some of the most racist examples of Finnish journalism are from tabloids. This does not, however, absolve the mainstream media which has succumbed to the same type of racism in its reporting. Source: Ilta-Sanomat.

Which dailies in Finland would have the most negative coverage of Muslims? Yle? Iltalehti? Ilta-Sanomat? Uusi Suomi? Kaleva? Helsingin Sanomat? Others?

Quality journalism aims to be fair and understands, or should understand, that you do not need to kill an ant with a bazooka.

With respect to the Oulu sexual assault cases in which Muslims were implicated, Migrant Tales reported that from November 27 to February 13, only the state-owned broadcaster Yle published 77 stories on the topic. On January 14 alone, Yle published 13 stories about the topic.

When compared with a similar sexual abuse case of minors involving white Finns, there was a different reaction. The story about the pedophile ring accused of sexually abusing 6-15-year-old boys lasted only a week in the news with 7 stories published by Yle.

One of the matters that becomes evident in stories is the code used to talk about Muslims. While the term Muslim isn’t that readily mentioned, stories talk about “asylum seekers” or “people of foreign origin” to mean the former.

* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform has wiped off the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament plummet from 18 MPs to none. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.

White Finnish media story of the day: Sanna Ukkola ja huomiokipeitä kirjoituksia “sanavapaudesta”

Posted on by Migrant Tales

En viitsi analysoida yksityiskohtaisesti Sanna Ukkolan viimeistä Yle-kolumnia “sananvapaudesta”, koska hän ampuu tykillä muurahaisia (siis vähemmistöjen edustajia) eikä vaikuta reilulta.

Kannattaa muistaa, että Ukkola on perussuomalaisten Matias Turkkilan vaimo. Varmasti Ukkolalla kotona riittääkin puhetta Turkkilan kanssa maahanmuuttajista ja muista vähemmistöistä, onhan Turkkila perussuomalaisten Suomen Uutisten vastaava päätoimittaja.

Ukkolan viimeisin kolumni on hyvä esimerkki siitä, kuinka maahanmuuton vastustajat ja populistit huijaavat lukijoita: sanotaan niin älyttömiä väitteitä, että ne varmasti uppoavat kansaan ja saavat huomiota.

Kolumnin julkaiseminen Ylen sivuille kertoo, että Ylekin on vajoamassa populistien suohon.

Lue alkuperäinen kolumni tästä.
Sanna Ukkola ennen ja nyt. Lähde: Yle.

Päivän sitaatti (Old No. 7/Scripta-blogi 2008): Rasismi on osa suomalaista kulttuuria

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Kommenti, joka kirjoitettiin Jussi Halla-ahon Scripta-blogissa syyskuussa 2008, on muistututs kuinka rasismia hysätään Suomessa.

Sama sävel valitettavissa jatkaa tänään.

Nimimerkki “Old No. 7” kirjoittaa :

“Mikäs mies tuo Enriikke Tessieeri on olevinaan? En oikein tykästynyt miehen teksteihin, tuntui vähän siltä että näppäimistöön kajotessaan Enriquella on alkanut pyryttää pahemman kerran.

Eipä sillä, varmasti Suomessa on syrjintää, ryssävihaa, sovinismia ynnämuuta, mutta mitä sitten? Eikö niitä voitaisi jo laskea suomalaiseen kulttuuriin, on niistä niin kauan valitettu. Ja kun ne olisivat virallisesti meidän kulttuuriamme, voisimme vedota silmät vetistäen tiedostaviin tahoihin että meidän kulttuuriamme on suojeltava maahanmuuttajien vastaavalta. Se luultavasti toimisi….Ai ei?”

12. syyskuuta 2008 16:53:35

Exposing Finnish white privilege #62: On free speech and scared white men

Posted on by Migrant Tales

It is amusing to hear how some people, usually white Finnish males, are so concerned about free speech. From rock bands like Eppu Normaali to politicians from the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party and others, the message is clear: the state is undermining our free speech.

Really?

How can people who grow up with privilege and power in Finland feel so threatened? Why is it usually that white Finnish males and women who support them, usually those that hate migrants and minorities, the ones that feel so threatened?

We all know the answer to that question. The issue isn’t undermining your rights to free speech but the fact that white Finnish men and women are scared because their privilege is being challenged. One of these privileges is to insult, oppress, and bully Others.

A good example is the racist and disgraceful tweet in March that cost the Perussuomalaiset Youth chapter 115,000 euros of funding by the ministry of education and culture.

Those that remember the tweet, there is a picture of a black couple smiling happily at their newborn child with the following tweet: “Vote for the Perussuomalaiset so that Finland won’t look like this.”

PS chairperson Jussi Halla-aho gave his usual defense of why racism should be seen as a “normal” matter by society and why it was wrong to cut funding to the youth chapter.

“My view is that cancelling and recovering funding is an unreasonable action over one silly tweet. There’s reason to appeal the decision – and if needed – take it to court,” Yle News quotes him saying on Facebook.

Anyone who is familiar with the actions of the PS Youth will conclude that it wasn’t a “silly tweet” by a member of that youth chapter but a clear pattern used over and over again by the party.

Playing down the impact of one’s racism is a common strategy used by racist parties like the PS. If racism happens, it is an exception “or silly” (sic!).

White Finnish privilege #62

It is a good matter that the ministry of education and culture cut funding (taxpayers’ money) to an organization that builds its support on racist ethnonationalistic views.

But the interesting question is why such parties feel so threatened that their free speech is being watered down?

The only answer I have is that it is the main thrust of the far-right message: Vote for us because you will be a minority. Are you scared? Vote for us!

White Finnish privilege allows you to cry about your privilege so you can continue to oppress and malign Others with impunity as well as keep institutional racism unchallenged.

If these people want, I will gladly offer a handkerchief to help them wipe the crocodile tears from their eyes.

See also:

* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform has wiped off the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament plummet from 18 MPs to none. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.

Perussuomalaiset MP dehumanizes asylum seekers as “invasive species”

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Perussuomalaist* MP Juha Mäenpää, a member of the far-right Nazi-spirited Suomen Sisu, labelled asylum seekers in a session of parliament as “an invasive species.“

Mäenpää is the same person who in 2015 stated that god had answered his prayers after a reception center that was going to house asylum seekers was razed to the ground.

In a tweet by Martin Scheinin, international law and human rights professor at the European Institute University calls out MP Juha Mäenpää’s usage of the word “invasive species. He states that Perussuomalaiset vice president Juho Eerola kept silence. Referring asylum seekers as “invasive species” could bring ethnic agitation charges against Mäenpää.

The interesting matter to watch is if, like Scheinin correctly points, if ethnic agitation charges will be brought against Mäenpää.

In combating social ills like racism, the role of the state and its institutions should be clear: any form of discrimination or hate speech that dehumanizes people is unacceptable.

One of the biggest challenges of combating racism and discrimination in Finland is due process, which is too slow, and symbolic fines that are a joke. Even so, a conviction brings shame and that may deter others.

Still, too much racism and discrimination exist in Finland because they are allowed to exist and live another day. It is like giving protection and cover for anti-social behavior.

In my opinion, it is important that the state prosecutor bring ethnic agitation charges against Mäenpää, who speaks of other human beings as if they were animals.

* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform was wiped off the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament plummet from 18 MPs to none. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.

PS MP Ano Turtiainen flirting with another feather in his cap

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Ano Turtiainen [1] is a lawmaker that claims that breaking the law is a feather in his cap. His most recent posting on Facebook appears that the PS MP is fliting to get another feather in his cap.

The posting is demeaning and straightforward (which is why we prefer not to post it in Migrant Tales): There is a black man that looks lost and states “Hi, when will I get money.”

The black man asks for money because, in Turtiainen’s world, black people don’t work but live off social welfare. The black man is asking for money because Finland’s new minister of the interior is a woman, Maria Ohisalo, of the Green party.

The fact that there is a woman and, on top of it, a Green is heading the ministry of interior is like consuming poison for the PS in general and MP Turtiainen in particular.

The post reads: “Finland has a Green minister of the interior. What’s your opinion..?”

PICTURE DELETED BECAUSE IT IS RACIST AND OFFENSIVE.

If we switched things around a bit we’d get the following Facebook post: “Finland got Ano “Feather in One’s Cap” Turtiainen as an MP. What is your opinion..?”

Ano Turtiainen.

* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform was wiped off the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament plummet from 18 MPs to none. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.

[1] Ano is a real name in Finland. The equivalent name for women is Anna. The translation of “ano” in Spanish is anus.