Tag: Perussuomalaiset

Finnish municipal elections analysis: Anti-immigration and us-vs-them politics aren’t sustainable

Posted on by Migrant Tales

One of the most important lessons of Sunday’s municipal elections is that the right-wing populist Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, and especially its conservative anti-immigration message and wing, are the biggest losers. 

Since the party’s historic election victory of 2011, when it gained 39 seats in parliament from 5 previously, migrants, minorities and our ever-growing culturally diverse community has been the target of a hostile campaign by the PS.

Ever since the PS’ election victory of 2011, the right-wing populist party has made migrants and asylum seekers their favorite political target. Of all the Finnish parties, the PS are the only ones that have openly tried to capitalize on anti-immigration sentiment.

While the National Coalition Party won its third-straight municipal elections on Sunday with 20.7% of the vote, it was followed by the Social Democrats (19.4%), Center Party (17.5%), Greens (12.4%) and Left Alliance and the PS, which gained 8.8% apiece.

If the Greens made the biggest gains and the PS was the biggest losers, the Social Democrats were clearly a disappointment. Being in the opposition, their result was near-flat from the previous municipal elections of 2012.

 

 

With 100% of the votes counted, KOK (National Coalition Party) won and was followed by the SDP (Social Democratic Party), KESK (Center Party), VIHR (Green Party), VAS (Left Alliance), PS (Perussuomalaiset), RKP (Swedish People’s Party), KD (Christian Democrats) and MUUT (Others). Source: Helsingin Sanomat.

In many respects, the disastrous election result of the PS has come as sweet and long overdue payback for that party’s hostile and near-constant attacks against us. Outgoing PS chairman, Timo Soini, who has led their party since 1997, has played good cop, bad cop with the media.

Continue reading “Finnish municipal elections analysis: Anti-immigration and us-vs-them politics aren’t sustainable”

Finnish municipal elections: Greens make big gains, Perussuomalaiset are the biggest losers

Posted on by Migrant Tales

The result of Sunday’s municipal elections were especially good news for migrants and minorities, who have been the targets of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* especially after their parliamentary election victory of 2011, when the party won 39 seats (19.05%) from 5 MPs (4.05%) in the previous elections. 

Ever since that historic election win by the PS in 2011, the right-wing populist party has made migrants and asylum seekers their favorite political target. Of all the Finnish parties, the PS are the only ones that have openly tried to capitalize on anti-immigration sentiment.

While the National Coalition Party won its third-straight municipal elections with 20.6% of the vote, it was followed by the Social Democrats (19.4%), Center Party (17.7%), Greens (12.3%) and Left Alliance and the PS, which gained 8.8% apiece.

If the Greens made the biggest gains and the PS the biggest losers, the Social Democrats were a disappointment. Being in the opposition, their result was near-flat from the previous municipal elections of 2012.

With 95.1% of the votes counted, KOK (National Coalition Party) leads followed by SDP (Social Democratic Party), KESK (Center Party), VIHR (Green Party), VAS (Left Alliance), PS (Perussuomalaiset), RKP (Swedish People’s Party), KD (Christian Democrats) and MUUT (Others). Source: YLE.

This is why some analysts believed that the terrorist attack in Stockholm on Friday and news that a bomb was found on Saturday night in the Norwegian capital of Oslo could have helped the PS in today’s election.

Continue reading “Finnish municipal elections: Greens make big gains, Perussuomalaiset are the biggest losers”

UPDATE: National Coalition Party forecast to win municipal elections, PS the biggest losers

Posted on by Migrant Tales

YLE forecasts that the National Coalition Party (NCP) will be the winner of the 2017 municipal elections with 20.4% of the votes followed by the Social Democrats (19.2%) and Center Party (17.6%). The biggest winner will be the Greens (13.6%) and the biggest loser the Perussuomalaiset* (8.2%). 

The PS saw their support nosedive from the last municipal elections (12.3%) and especially from the parliamentary elections, when the got 17.7% of the votes.

For migrants, minorities and sensible Finns, the poor showing of the PS is the best news since the 2011 parliamentary elections, when the populist party won 19.05% of the votes versus 4.05% in 2007.

 

* The official translation to Finnish of the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party is the Finns Party. In our opinion, it is not only a horrible translation, but one that is misguided. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Such terms like the Finns Party of True Finns promote as well 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 thereafter the acronym PS.

Finland’s blind spot of racism will persist for as long as we play dead and tango with it

Posted on by Migrant Tales

In the land of the blind, the person who can see with one eye is king.

A Latin American saying. 

National Coalition Party (NCP) Interior Minister Paula Risikko is a pretty questionable politician. The minister is deplorable for a number of reasons: she spreads suspicion of asylum seekers and migrants and doesn’t care to between distinguish what is a far-right anti-immigration group like Suomi Ensin (Finland First) and what is not. 

Interior Minister Risikko not only approves but has given the thumbs up to a far right Finland First demonstration in February.

With ministers like these supposedly serving migrants and minorities in Finland who needs enemies?

Interior Minister Paula Risikko giving the thumbs up at a far-right Finland First demonstration in February.

It’s clear that with politicians like Risikko and parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, NCP and Center Party in government, the country’s anti-immigration and anti-cultural diversity hostility will strengthen and not go away.

The answer why is right under our noses. It’s in Risikko’s thumbs up in February, PS Foreign Minister Timo Soini’s poker face when he speaks about racism in his party, Prime Minister Juha Sipilä’s broken promise of offering his home to asylum seekers in September 2015, it’s in the empty “we have zero tolerance for racism” statements from politicians and so-called multicultural associations that are supposed to challenge racism but fuel it instead with their inaction.

Take a look at how our immigration law has tightened under this government and how Finland, a country that prides itself for defending and promoting human rights, denies and keeps families separated. The wretched anti-immigration atmosphere in Finland can be found in the forced deportations of hapless asylum seekers and in our inhumane immigration policy that treats migrants first and foremost with suspicion.

Continue reading “Finland’s blind spot of racism will persist for as long as we play dead and tango with it”

YouTube Perussuomalaiset candidate: We don’t want asylum seekers in Finland – leave

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This interview by an Iraqi asylum seeker of Tampere Perussuomalaiset (PS)* municipal election candidate, Elisa Hiltunen, reveals candidly why many migrants see the PS as a hostile party that is set on placing obstacles on migrants’, especially asylum seekers’ lives. The PS candidate reveals as well the extreme egoism and her outright ignorance of our laws and international commitments. 

But that’s “ok.” She’s a member of the PS.

* The official translation to Finnish of the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party is the Finns Party. In our opinion, it is not only a horrible translation, but one that is misguided. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Such terms like the Finns Party of True Finns promote as well in our opinion nativist nationalism and xenophobia. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and thereafter the acronym PS.

MP Ozan Yanar: The Perussuomalaiset are obsessed by migrants, they don’t have anything better to do

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Finnish Green League MP Ozan Yanar socks it to the Perussuomalaiset* (PS) city council candidate Erlin Yang and Laura Kolbe of the Center Party. What he said on the municipal election debate show explains what the PS is to a tee. 

Yanar: “For example the Perussuomalaiset, there are a lot of people obsessed with migrants. Just liked obsessed, they don’t have anything else to do. Sadly Kokoomus and Keskusta, which normally are good parties, are playing along. That’s the situation right now.”

Yang: “That’s discriminatory. Those are not nice words at all!”

Kolbe: “These are democratically elected representatives.”

Yanar: “You are doing your politics and we are criticizing [it] and that’s politics. Welcome to politics.”

You can watch the full election debate here. 

* The official translation to Finnish of the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party is the Finns Party. In our opinion, it is not only a horrible translation, but one that is misguided. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Such terms like the Finns Party of True Finns promote as well in our opinion nativist nationalism and xenophobia. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and thereafter the acronym PS.

The cheap journalism of Helsingin Uutiset and its editor’s long roots in the anti-immigration movement of Finland

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Two of the worst complimentary publications in the Helsinki and Greater Helsinki area Helsingin Uutiset and Vantaan Sanomat. Since they don’t charge people to read their publications they depend heavily on advertising revenues. The way that they get such revenues and readers is by spreading xenophobia and suspicion of migrants and minorities. 

The latest example is of a story by Helsingin Uutuset that claims that sexual crimes have soared to dizzying heights.

Read the full story here.

The story has a lot of holes. For one, it takes a jab below the belt and claims that somehow the large number of asylum seekers have something to do with this issue. For example, the story doesn’t clarify – but suggests instead – that it’s the fault of asylum seekers without mentioning how many tourists and non-asylum seekers it’s talking about.

It doesn’t even tell us if the cases that it cites are suspected and convicted rape cases.

We don’t know and we’re not supposed to know. Even so, Helsingin Uutiset’s shoddy reporting is no surprise since this is the way the publication spreads falsehoods and racism about migrants while attracting advertisers.

Continue reading “The cheap journalism of Helsingin Uutiset and its editor’s long roots in the anti-immigration movement of Finland”

Finnish ministry of interior survey about our “polarized debate” on asylum seekers reveals the government’s prejudices and failures

Posted on by Migrant Tales

A new study published Tuesday by the interior ministry and carried out by Vaasa University raises some disturbing questions. What does the survey address and what does it reveal?

One of the many claims of the survey is that those surveyed want a more dispassionate public debate about asylum policies.

An interior ministry statement reads: “Finns would like to be able to discuss asylum policy without the fear of being stigmatized; the discourse should be relevant and fact-based. The issues that were highlighted in the discourse on asylum policy were social polarization, promotion of integration activities during the asylum seeking process and the impact of the asylum seeker situation on security.”

Other findings of the survey reveal already known tough public views about asylum seekers. For example, 82% of the respondents felt that it should be made perfectly clear to those asylum seekers that get a residence are obliged to follow our social rules  and that language courses should be emphasized (87%).

The survey doesn’t tell us what those “rules” are for the simple fact they most likely don’t know either.

Read the full statement here.

Other findings of the survey published in Helsingin Sanomat include: 83% responded that if an asylum seeker lies in the the interview process to get asylum it should affect directly his or her chances of getting a residence permit; 78% felt that the police should forcibly deport those who get rejected for asylum if they do not leave the country.

Other matters that the survey showed was that asylum seekers cause social conflicts (59%), increase crime (57%) and the threat of terrorism (64%).

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MigriLeaks: Mikä on henkilökohtaista?

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 20170320 luodinreika

Maahanmuuttoviraston Migrin linjan mukaan toissijaisen suojelun saaminen Irakissa edellyttää, että turvapaikanhakijalla on henkilökohtaiset perusteet vainolle:

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Migrin mielikuvituksella ei ole rajoja kun keksitään syitä miksi vaino EI olisi henkilökohtaista:

25-vuotias turvapaikanhakija Bagdadista on työskennellyt amerikkalaisille ja joutunut vuonna 2013 tappouhkausten kohteeksi koska häntä on pidetty vakoojana. Vuonna 2014 uhkaukset ovat jatkuneet ja perheen taloa on ammuttu. Vuonna 2016 isä on siepattu ja äiti pahoinpidelty.

Mutta koska oikeudenloukkaukset ovat kohdistuneet vuonna 2014 ja 2016 koko perheeseen ja myös todistajia on uhkailtu, Migrin mielestä vaino ei ole henkilökohtaista eikä pelko objektiivisesti perusteltua.

Migri kirjoittaa perusteluissaan näin:

”Koska olit perheesi kokemaa uhkausta ja ampumavälikohtausta ennen siirtynyt asumaan kotikaupunkisi sisällä toiselle alueelle, ja uhkausten sisältönä oli muualle siirtyminen, uhkaus ei ole voinut kohdistua sinuun henkilökohtaisesti. Asiassasi ei ole myöskään esitetty mitään mikä antaisi perusteltua syytä epäillä, että vuoden 2014 uhkaus ja ampumavälikohtaus olisivat syy-yhteydessä vuonna 2013 saamaasi uhkaukseen ja aiempaan työhösi tai että niiden takana olisivat samat tahot… perheesi kotiin on hyökätty 2016, äitisi pahoinpidelty, isäsi siepattu ja asiasta tehty rikosilmoitus. Asiassa ei ole esitetty mitään, mikä antaisi perusteltua syytä epäillä, että nämä tapahtumat liittyisivät suoranaisesti sinun saamiisi uhkauksiin tai ampumavälikohtaukseen.”

Kuitenkin samaisessa KHO:n päätöksessä, johon Migri viittaa, toissijainen suojelu on myönnetty turvapaikanhakijalle, vaikka henkilöön itseensä ei ollut kohdistunut uhkaa:

“Muutoksenhakijan isällä on henkilökohtaisia ja vakavia kokemuksia mielivaltaisesta väkivallasta Bagdadissa. Nämä kokemukset…eivät yksin osoita, että…vaara koskisi juuri muutoksenhakijaa. Nämä kokemukset on kuitenkin otettava huomioon arvioitaessa koskeeko ulkomaalaislain 88 pykälän 1 momentin 3 momentissa tarkoitettu vaara juuri häntä.”

Seuraavassa turvapaikanhakijan negatiivinen päätös:

Olet hakenut Suomesta kansainvälistä suojelua. Olet kertonut turvapaikkapuhuttelussa hakevasi Suomesta kansainvälistä suojelua, koska olet saanut aseelliselta ryhmittymältä uhkauksia sen takia, että olet työskennellyt aiemmin amerikkalaisten joukkojen kanssa ja perheesi taloa on ammuskeltu.

Asianajajan toimittamat lisäselvitykset, joiden mukaan kotiinne on hyökätty, jolloin äitisi on pahoinpidelty, ja isäsi on siepattu, asiasta on tehty rikosilmoitus, joka on toimitettu Maahanmuuttovirastoon pahoinpidellyn äitisi valokuvien kanssa.

Continue reading “MigriLeaks: Mikä on henkilökohtaista?”

How Sampo Terho’s essay in 2007 is still the norm but in a different context to fuel fear and racism of migrants and minorities

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Finnish Perussuomalaiset (PS)* parliamentary group leader Sampo Terho wrote a decade ago in Kanava an essay with the classic far-right populist rhetoric about the threat of migration. His point of view in the essay is not only sinister but was a central argument used by parties like the PS to attract voters and that their racism was “normal.”  

UPDATED (20.3): By publishing this baloney in a respected publication like Kanava, Terho’s aim is to substantiate his racist points of views.  

Many politicians who wrote racist things in the past and which helped them get elected want us to forget.

We cannot and should not forget for the sake of decency and respect for future generations.

Terho is not just any PS MP with racist views, but one that is vying to become chairman of the anti-immigration party after Timo Soini steps down in early June.

In a letter to the editor to Helsingin Sanomat, Terho claims that his or Halla-aho’s election to the helm of the party will not force it a path of “sheer darkness and evil.”

Columnist Yrjö Rautio wrote in Helsingin Sanomat Friday that if either Terho or Halla-aho become chairman of the PS it would not only mean the end of Soini’s populist project but a slip into “sheer darkness and evil.”

We disagree with part of Rautio’s analysis. The PS was always a party of “sheer darkness and evil” and its main architect is Soini.

Who is Terho anyway and what are his thoughts about migration and cultural diversity?

Even if the PS MP has tried to hide what he wrote in Kanava, it is a classic example of the racism and ethnocentrism that is spread by far-right and right-wing populist anti-immigration groups at the time to instill fear, hostility and racism against migrants and minorities.

Let’s look at some of the main points of Terho’s essay headlined, “European’s past and future.”

Read full essay here.
  • Terho groups humans in the essay into three racial groups: “Negroid, Mongoloid and Caucasian;”
  • The European population of Africans will grow three-fold by 2050;

Continue reading “How Sampo Terho’s essay in 2007 is still the norm but in a different context to fuel fear and racism of migrants and minorities”