Racism Archives - Page 121 of 208

Statement: EU elections 2014: the way towards more equality in Europe, 7 demands from ENAR

Posted on March 7, 2014 by Migrant Tales

The next European Parliament to be elected in May 2014 has a crucial role to play when it comes to reducing the entrenched inequalities faced by its citizens and residents. Among these are ethnic minorities and migrants who often face discrimination on multiple grounds: ethnic origin, nationality, social status, income, gender or age. The European Network Against Racism (ENAR) therefore puts forward 7 key demands for more equality in Europe to upcoming Members of the European Parliament. Leading Members of the European Parliament have already endorsed our demands because they are convinced that they will lead to a better and more equal Europe and are also sound, concrete and achievable.

Read full statement here.

Starting with the basics, we ask parties to open up their lists and decision making structures to ethnic minorities and migrants. Fighting toxic and xenophobic political discourses and policies as well as structural discrimination starts at home. Political decision makers need to be exemplary to generate constructive emulation within broader society. We need a more diverse European Parliament. As a minimum, the next European Parliament and its political groups should hire professionals from minority communities..

“If you are not counted, you don’t count”: combating discrimination begins with knowing the extent of it. Today, we only have comparable and reliable Europe-wide equality data on the grounds of sex and age. We need more. There are 6 grounds of discrimination covered by the EU treaties and 17 by the Charter of Fundamental Rights – there is thus much room for improvement in collecting and analysing data about discrimination in Europe. Ethnic and religious groups want to count and to use data to ask governments to be accountable for their actions. These 60 million Europeans deserve justice.

Racist violence has multiple effects on individual victims, but also on their families and communities. They are not targeted randomly by perpetrators, but because of who they are. The European Parliament has a crucial role to play in bringing the European Commission and Member States to support victims in seeking redress and avoiding re-victimisation. Equality at work is not just a matter of preventing discrimination from happening. It is also about ensuring the workplace caters for the needs of an increasingly diverse workforce. Accommodating diversity at work will result in developing workers’ potential, employee retention, a safe working environment and a better work-life balance. The adoption of the European framework for national Roma integration strategies demonstrated the EU’s political will to fight discrimination against its largest ethnic minority. Black Europeans, People of African Descent, Muslims and Jews need to benefit from similar strategies which will ensure their social inclusion and protection from discrimination, and therefore contribute to the overall reduction of poverty and exclusion in Europe.

Finally, we call for the continuation of the current Anti-Racism and Diversity Intergroup in the European Parliament. This will ensure MEPs committed to equality have a platform to voice and tackle challenges relating to inequality and discrimination.

Our 7 demands can contribute to a leap forward towards equality in Europe. Time for commitment has come. The future of a diverse and resilient Europe is at stake: we encourage parties and individual candidates to endorse them and mainstream them in their own programmes ahead – and after – the elections.

MPs fear that the Ukrainian crisis could fuel anti-Russian sentiment in Finland

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Migrant Tales

The present crisis between the Ukraine and Russia could fuel anti-Russian sentiment in Finland, according to Social Democrat MP Pauliina Viitamies and MP Lenita Toivakka of the National Coalition Party, reports Mikkeli-based daily Länsi-Savo.

Read full story here.

“I fear that [the Ukrainian-Russian crisis] could raise anti-Russian sentiment especially in the eastern border area,” said Viitamies, adding that she hoped that this would not be the case.

The warning by Viitamies and Toivakka is significant considering Finland’s difficult history with its neighbor and how it has fueled anti-Russian behavior to date. There is cause for worry if two MPs from Eastern Finland are concerned about the impact that the Ukraine crisis may have on Russians living in Finland.

If the Ukraine crisis worsens and drags on, it could not only affect Russians living in Finland but all immigrants, especially groups like Muslims and visible minorities.

The historic victory of the anti-EU and anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset party in the 2011 parliamentary elections is an example of how nationalism and intolerance have gained a bigger foothold in Finland.

Sarcastic and humorous politicians should seek new careers in comedy

Posted on March 2, 2014 by Migrant Tales

Imagine the following predicament: Politicians who should know better capitalizing on a country’s racist streak in order to further their careers and narcissism. Adding salt to social injury, these politicians claim to be “patriotic” but in fact are far from it. Is promoting nationalism, hatred, racism – no matter how passionately or subtly – so-called “patriotic” behavior?

PS MP James Hirvisaari defended this person’s Nazi salute in parliament as “humor.” When politicians spread the message of hate and racism in Finland, they do so by claiming to be humorous, sarcastic or being critical. For obvious reasons it’s never considered racist or unbecoming behavior by an elected public servant.

Fueling intolerance is reckless and opportunistic behavior, especially if it will land you lots of votes and a political career.

On top of being reckless and opportunistic, these types of politicians are weaklings because they claim to dress their racism with humor and sarcasm.

Take for example the anti-EU, anti-immigration and especially anti-Islam Perussuomalaiset (PS) party of Finland. Is it acceptable for an elected public official from the PS or any other party to spread racism and victimize other groups to further his or her career?

Is it acceptable that the PS’ leader, Timo Soini, broke his promise to voters by not sacking party members who were sentenced for ethnic agitation?

Here’s the bottom line: The sarcasm, humor and even the so-called critical thinking against immigrants and minorities of these opportunistic politicians isn’t funny at all, especially to those they label and victimize.

If these politicians are so much into humor and sarcasm, they should make a career change and become comedians.

If they are public servants, however, they should learn to behave accordingly, respect values like social equality for all, and never forget they represent a wide constituency of society.

Why are Europe’s Islamophobic politicians and parties so “pro-Israel?”

Posted on March 1, 2014 by Migrant Tales

Are you sometimes surprised to read about how many far-right anti-immigration groups are so pro-Israel? Some, like anti-Islam Perussuomalaiset (PS) MP Juho Eerola of Finland, may go as far as to draft a written question to parliament demanding that Muslims renounce publicly their hatred of gays and Jews.

A posting by Migrant Tales reposted on Greece’s UNHCR’s website.

Should we believe Eerola taking into account his loathing of cultural diversity never mind Muslims? Isn’t this the same person who wrote in 2010 that he is attracted to fascism and Benito Mussolini’s economic policies?

Let’s take a step further. Eerola’s aide, Ulla Pyysalo, applied for membership in a neo-Nazi association and has labelled migrants raccoon dogs.

Why do these types of people, who openly support fascism or hate Muslims, may be so pro-Israel? Why do far-right personalities like Geert Wilders of Holland and Pia Kjærsgaard of Denmark “support Israel?” Even if the Sweden Democrats have tried to build a new image from their neo-Nazi past and that the party leader Jimmie Åkesson’s “support Israel,” I wonder how many Jews trust him and the Islamophobic party.

Folks, let’s get real. These so-called “support Israel” politicians insult Jews and the Holocaust with their fake and opportunistic slogans. If these people lived in Europe during the twelve-year Nazi German reign of terror in 1933-45, how many would support Israel and Jews?

Since far-right and anti-immigration politicians and parties need scapegoats, the question we should ask is who is the next victim and group.

It’s a clear warning we’ve heard before in today’s Europe: After the immigrants, you’re next.

Another red herring about gays and Jews by Finnish PS MP Juho Eerola

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Migrant Tales

I’m always amazed by these anti-immigration and especially anti-Islam Perussuomalaiset MPs like Juho Eerola, sent a written question to parliament demanding that Muslims in Finland renounce publicly their anti-gay and anti-Semitic stances, according to Kotka-based Kymen Sanomat.

Here’s a very good opinion piece (in Finnish) by Sakari Timonen that exposes Eerola for what he is: A politician without scruples.

The question that Eerola’s statement raises is why is he offering us this red herring now.

Those that have read Eerola throughout the years, know perfectly well that he’s no friend of gays. We could even put to question his pro-Jewish stance. Is he pro-Jewish because he supports how Israel treats Palestinians, who are Muslims?

The answer why the PS MP expresses concern now for gays and Jews is clear: European MEP elections are coming up in May and there is apparently concern in the PS that the party’s negative stand against same sex-marriages may cost it dearly.

Read full story here.

Eerola’s victimization of Muslims is done the same old way: He groups all Muslims in the same bag.

Reaction to Eerola’s stunt has been widely commented and condemned on social media.

PS MP Eerola is that type of far-right politicians who would care less for gays never mind cultural diversity in Finland and religious freedom.

His most recent outburst and red herring is ample proof of that.

Violent language

Posted on February 23, 2014 by Migrant Tales

Some Finns don’t grasp how violent anti-immigration groups are and the role of institutional racism, which serves and supports such groups. Every lie, distorted and exaggerated fact concocted against migrants and visible minorities is a bullet.

These anti-immigration groups and their supporters are, however, big cowards. They often threaten, slander and distort facts anonymously. Some may even write to your employer – anonymously of course – and chastise you in the hope that you’ll get fired from your job.

Even though I got my first death threats in Finland in the early 1990s after I wrote about Somali and African asylum seekers in Mikkeli for Finland’s largest magazine, Apu, matters have gotten worse since those days.

That’s why I believe that the Perussuomalaiset, especially their far-right and anti-immigration wing, are a big threat to the security of migrants and visible minorities. The Perussuomalaiset aren’t the only political party in Finland that has racists. You can find them in all parties.

Violence doesn’t always have to be physical and can be found in the form of institutional racism. It lives at elementary schools where children of migrant parents are openly labeled as “them,” or “other.”

Inequality is violence with a capital “V” especially in a noble country like Finland.

It’s high time that we recognize and challenge violent language against migrants and all minorities.

Being “critical of migrants” is only a code word for racism and hostility.

Read posting in Finnish here.

What’s really being discussed in the ongoing debate about immigration in Finland?

Posted on February 16, 2014 by Migrant Tales

After taking part actively in the ongoing debate about immigration and immigrants, some crucial points always expose themselves in the debate. I personally believe that there is one very important issue that few care to admit: accepting our cultural and ethnic diversity and how some white Finns accept the latter.

I’m overjoyed that there are more people from different ethnic backgrounds taking part in the ongoing debate. We may or not agree with some of our points of view, but the most important point is that there are other voices out there today.

A good example of those “other” voices is Abdirahim Hussein Mohamed’s initiative to bring the anti-immigration and anti-Islam Perussuomalaiset (PS) to the same table as the Muslim congregation. The visit was widely commented on Facebook as well.

Hussein Mohamed said that he organized the event, which was successful according to him, because he was tired of the “us and them” debate.

Professor Jeremy Gould, who spoke to some students and staff members at Otava Folk High School last spring, said that it’s difficult to quantify racism in Finland since there are so few migrants living in the country. “The basic issue that we’re looking at in Finland today is the acceptance of people who are look, or sound different,” he said.

Professor Gould, who teaches Development Studies at Jyväskylä University, asked why we need to defend ‘multiculturalism.’

Professor Jeremy Gould speaking to students at Otava Folk High School in spring.

“Culture is always diverse – people everywhere have different tastes, beliefs, habits, and values, Gould said. “This has been true of Finland for centuries. For me the so-called ‘debate about multiculturalism’ is a code word for racism in our society. Finland is already culturally diverse. The issue is that people of color don’t receive the respect and recognition they deserve as human beings.”

Matters were very different before the 2011 parliamentary elections, when the anti-immigration and especially anti-Islam Perussuomalaiset (PS) won 39 seats from 5 previously. The debate was basically controlled by anti-immigration groups and hate sites like Hommaforum.

Having been a journalist and foreign correspondent for 25 years with a background in anthropology, I was truly surprised by what was being written and debated over immigration and immigrants in Finland. The urban tales that were being published as “solid analysis” were nothing more than points of views that exposed the writer’s prejudices and intolerance.

I once gave a talk in 2010 to students about what the Finnish media was writing at the time about migrants and visible minorities. I grouped the stories in the following manner: Those opinion pieces and stories that made my blood boil and those that didn’t.

Here’s one editorial by Jyväskylä-based Keskisuomalainen written in 2010 that was in the “blood-boiling” category. It reads:

…the most effective way of helping refugees is to earmark help to their home country (sic!). Accepting refugees in Finland is the last resort.

As one can see, the editorial carries all the arguments of the anti-immigration camp. One of the favorites to this date is the following:

Certain migrant or refugee groups will never adapt to our country and therefore we must do everything possible from allowing them to come here. My intolerant and racist views are justified.

Read full editorial (in Finnish) here.

The extremely one-sided debate before the 2011 elections bore a striking resemblance to the arguments used by xenophobic parties like National Front in the UK during the 1970s and 1980s. Just like in the United Kingdom, the media in Finland was and still is part of the problem because it continues to give racists inflated respectability and importance.

Migrant Tales has written that we think carefully what we write because our grandchildren, great grandchildren and others will read and quote what we say today.

What do you think will be the fate of the writings of anti-immigration politicians like Halla-aho, James Hirvisaari, Olli Immonen and many others anti-immigration writers in the future? If some of their points of views sound ludicrous today, think of how they’ll read in the future.

The more we take part in the ongoing debate and reveal those urban tales, the shorter their lifespan will be.

Despite the fact that the debate on our ever-growing cultural diversity (I believe this is the big issue) has changed, the arguments are the same. There are basically two: Those who want to keep Finland “white” at any cost, and those who accept our cultural diversity.

Those in the former group are naturally against multiculturalism. They attack everything that promotes cultural diversity and try their hardest not to be labelled as racists. Some of the issues they attack are immigration policy and, most importantly, defending equal rights for migrants and visible minorities.

A good example of the keep-Finland-white camp is PS MP Olli Immonen’s written question to parliament in December that Finland should start classifying people according to ethnic background.

Personally, I consider it absurd to be against cultural diversity in Finland since over 1.2 million Finns emigrated from this country between 1860 and 1999 and that we have – and need – more migrants.

Migrant Tales (March 8, 2012): “I hope what I write isn’t true”

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Migrant Tales

After about five years of existence, 887 blog entries (including this one) and over 20,140 comments, I would like to make a confession: Deep inside I have always hoped that what I write isn’t true. Finland is a noble country and noble countries stay clear of racism and xenophobia, right?

Still I do not know what is worse: The xenophobia, which has followed Finland like a shadow throughout its history, or the silence and indifference of too many politicians, academics, media and society in general. True, we are becoming familiar with this dark side of ourselves. Banishing our fears and prejudices will take a national effort and generations of hard work.

A fellow student from Kenya at Turku University in 1979 threw a cold bucket of reality on my face. John K. said that he was commonly harassed in public, complete strangers even threw stones at him. When I asked immigration researchers at the time why Finland had such a draconian attitude towards foreigners, his answer shocked me: “It’s to keep the trash out.”

At the time, there lived under 10,000 immigrants in the country.

The PS councilman Tommi Rautio scandal offered us yet another crude wake up. He, like many before him, forced us to see something unpleasant about us: the xenophobia and racism that has lurked out there in our society for a long time. It survives and continues to grows because of our lack of resolve.

How many Rautios are there in Finland? We could safely state that there are still too many.

I started Migrant Tales in 2007 and it didn’t take long for this blog to find its identity and place among a wide international group of bloggers.

Every day I write a blog entry I hope that what I say isn’t true. I tell myself, however, that that hope speaking back to me is nothing is nothing more than our denial.

The PS throw water into the steaming sauna stones of intolerance as MEP elections near

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Migrant Tales

The Perussuomalaiset (PS) are Finland’s anti-EU, anti-immigration and especially anti-Islam party. Some of their questionable political soul mates in Europe are the far-right Danish People’s Party, Sweden Democrats and Ukip of Britain. Even if they are all of the above, they make up shameful denials that they aren’t all of the above.

Why? Because Finnish voters are conservative and their tolerance for reckless populism has its limits. Moreover, Finland’s version of the U.S. Tea Party is only good at two things: whining and denying.

As mentioned, one of the main things that the PS does is spread racism and urban tales. They do so because that’s the way they get media attention. When they get media attention, they connect with their voters through code.

It shouldn’t surprise us that as the European Member of Parliament (MEP) elections near on May 25, the PS are feverishly connecting with their voters through their usual intolerance and racism.

In the city of Kouvola in southeast Finland, the PS are offering to potential voters licorice with a golliwog-looking mascot on a box that reads: PS – you get what you ordered.

This phrase could be interpreted in the following manner: “What you got” are blacks from Africa due to Finland’s immigration policy. The PS will set things right.

Thank you Marian Abdulkarim for the heads-up on Facebook.

So a PS councilman of Lieksa, Finland, wants a “Somali-free” room…

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Migrant Tales

Roble Bashir

We need a Somali-free meeting room today in the eastern Finnish town of Lieksa, according to a Perussuomalaiset (PS) councilman Esko Saastamoinen. Somali-free town tomorrow or Somali- free country after tomorrow? Why do they hate us so much?

Illustration by Sebastian L. Jackson for Migrant Tales.

Many times I wonder what is wrong with the PS? Why do they make near-constant ludicrous comments to the media about Somalis in Finland? It makes me sad to read what they say but it gives me power and awareness at the same time.

The PS has put a large sign over its head: We hate everything about you Somalis, your skin color and the fact that you live in this Finland.

Why do they hate us so much if we don’t hold any grudges against them? What’s wrong? Are we invaders to this land? Actually not, because some of us were not only born here but grew up in this country as well. Despite this fact, we’re treated like strangers, even as outcasts.

How can immigrants integrate into Finland if politicians create a climate of intolerance and hatred with their racist speeches to the public and sound bites to the media?

It’s a pretty normal day in Finland when you wake up in a morning, read a newspaper or start surfing the internet, when you eventually read about a politician saying something negative and hostile about immigrants. It’s extremely sad that an MP, who represents this country, uses his power for fear-mongering.

One of these MPs is Jussi Halla-aho of the PS, who visited the town of Lieksa over the weekend. If he gets elected to the European Parliament in May, he will do everything possible to make our lives more difficult in Europe.

Even so, I’m certain he won’t succeed.