Racism Archives - Page 18 of 208

An election pact with the devil

Posted on March 21, 2023 by Migrant Tales

Sometimes, the hunger for power is so voracious that politicians and their parties will make pacts with the devil. It was the case in September in Sweden when the conservative Moderate Party joined forces with the Sweden Democrats, a party with neo-Nazi roots. Finland will hold its election on April 2, and there is the same trend: the National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) is looking at the radical-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* to form a government.

Apart from losing credibility, a conservative party that goes to bed with a party like the Sweden Democrats or PS may devour the party’s support.

The Moderate Party came in second place after the Sweden Democrats. The arrangement was like in Denmark with the Danish People’s Party (DPP), which supported a minority government in return for concessions on the anti-immigration front.

Contrary to the DPP and the Sweden Democrats, the PS has said it will support a minority government arrangement. In Finnish political terms, it means they have to either win the election, giving them the power to form the next government, or be an integral part of the new government if Kokoomus wins.

**Finland will hold its parliamentary election on April 2.** **Source: vaalit.fi**

The Social Democrats (SDP), Left Alliance, Greens, and Swedish People’s Party have said they will not form a government with the PS. The reason? SDP Prime Minister Sanna Martin has branded the PS a racist party.

With the parliamentary election only 12 days away, recent opinion polls show Kokoomus, SDP, and the PS neck-and-neck for the top spot.

Media Monitoring Group of Finland: Will the Perussuomalaiset’s xenophobic campaign help it win the election?

Posted on March 18, 2023 by Migrant Tales

Finland’s parliamentary election is only 16 days away on April 2, and the question is if the radical-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party will capitalize on its Islamophobic campaign message.

The assertion that the PS uses a migrant crime topic to attract voters before an election isn’t far-fetched.

One of the most interesting discoveries of our first report published Friday is the link between the Swedish parliamentary election of September and the rise of news stories about “street gangs” in Finland.

As we know, gang violence in Sweden is a serious social problem and is unique in Europe. Thanks to this problem, the Sweden Democrats, a party with neo-Nazi roots, and the conservative Moderate

Party successfully used the issue in their campaigns to win the election.

Historically, the PS had lured voters through news stories involving migrants and asylum seekers committing crimes in the n 2011, 2015, and 2019 parliamentary elections. One of the many big “migrant scandals” the PS wants to exploit for the April election is the threat of “youth gangs.”

Since it’s easy to understand the PS’ campaign strategy, the big question is if they will succeed in attracting voters in the upcoming election.

**The PS leader, Riikka Purra, denies that the party is racist.Read the full article here.**

Convicted openly racist and fascist party MP candidate eyes parliament

Posted on March 6, 2023 by Migrant Tales

Ville Nurmela, a candidate for the openly racist and fascist Sinimusta Liike convicted for ethnic agitation and vandalizing the Turku synagogue in 2020, is running for parliament, according to Helsingin Sanomat, Finland’s largest daily.

A former member of Finland’s neo-Nazi group, Nurmela has convictions for using and possessing explosives, assault rifle cartridge cases, and drugs.

Writes Ville Nurmela (left):” I am a 29-year-old metal worker, athlete, and war veteran from Uusakaupunki.
I have years of experience in street-level activism, and the [fascist] Sinimusta Liike is my first step into party politics. I am the secretary of the party’s Southwest Finland chapter and running for parliament in the next election.
I favor policies that support large Finnish families with children, our [markka] currency, domestic entrepreneurship, and complete political independence [from the EU]. I was ready to defend Europe’s freedom in a war against Russia. I am prepared to do the same today for Finland, but by parliamentary means.” See [right] *Migrant Tales*.

In an interview with STT in December, Sinimusta Liike chairperson Tuukka Kuru admitted that the party could be considered openly racist and fascist.

According to investigative journalism by Helsingin Sanomat, other Sinimusta Liike candidates for parliament were convicted of various crimes.

Media Monitoring Group of Finland: The Finnish media’s too often toxic role in public discourse

Posted on March 5, 2023 by Migrant Tales

The role of the media in shaping public discourse about minorities before the April parliamentary election is evident. We saw this in the case of Oulu in 2018-2019 and its present coverage of “youth gangs” from the fall. It is disheartening that no media has challenged politicians about how they exploit a topic like “youth gangs” and if there are links with Sweden’s and Finland’s parliamentary elections.

In December, we even saw President Sauli Niinistö, no friend of Finland’s culturally and ethnically diverse communities, give impetus to the toxic labeling of brown and black youths.

Helsingin Sanomat celebrated its 130th anniversary in 2019. The overwhelming majority of the daily’s newsroom comprises of white Finns. Source: *Helsingin Sanomart*

The coverage of “youth gangs,” which are referred to in Sweden as criminal gangs to avoid blanket labeling of whole groups, exposes in Finland how the media, police, and politicians collaborate to spread a toxic narrative about marginalized groups.

Each of the three groups involved (media, police, and politicians) have a vested interest in exploiting stories about minorities:

– The media gains viewers and advertisers.
– The police can secure more funding.
– Politicians attract voters.

Facebook (Petra Laiti): The price of Finnish colonialism

Posted on February 24, 2023 by Migrant Tales

Migrant Tales comment: Today’s news that Parliament’s constitutional committee voted against the Sámi Parliament Act is a big blow to Europe’s only indigenous group. The parties that voted against the act were the Center Party, National Coalition Party (Kokoomus), and the radical-right Perussuomalaiset.*

I wrote in the forthcoming European Islamophobia Report 2022 the following: “Another big test for Prime Minister [Sanna] Marin is the Sámi Parliament Act, which the Centre Party has relentlessly opposed. The long-overdue act will give Europe’s only indigenous group the right to self-determination as envisaged in the ILO Convention 169 (Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989). Opposition to the act reminds other minorities, like Muslims, how Finland views different minorities and their rights.”

Katja Marova: Living next door to Russia

Posted on February 23, 2023 by Migrant Tales

As war rages on in Ukraine and we near the first anniversary of that tragic conflict on February 24, one question we should ask is how Finland’s Russian-speaking community is faring. Katja Marova, who lives in the border city of Lappeenranta, says that matters have not changed much in her home city, even if war rages in Ukraine.

“It seems that as there are now sanctions against Russia,” she continued, “it’s ok to discriminate freely as well [against Russians].”

**Katja Marova lives in the border city of Lappeenranta.**

Apart from discrimination, some Russians complain about racist harassment in public.

Marova, a Left Alliance candidate for parliament in Lappeenranta, wrote on Facebook about an incident at a bar when she spoke to a Russian friend.

“On Friday, we were at a bar in our city [Lappeenranta] when a man walked by us and purposely bumped into my friend,” she said. “The man apologized, and my friend said it was ok. But then he started to say Slava Ukraini (Respect Ukraine).”

Marova said that her friend was shocked by the man’s reaction.

A question for Ilta-Sanomat: Why didn’t you mention the name of the security company and who was in the video?

Posted on February 23, 2023 by Migrant Tales

An example of you-can-eat-your-racist-cake-and-have-it journalism: The chief executive of a private security firm posts a video wearing a uniform about how a member of the Romany minority shoplifts. The security firm’s representative uses his personal TikTok account to publish the racist post.

The security guard chief executive took down the video after a representative of the Romany community confronted him.

An apology follows: “Since my motive wasn’t racist, I was surprised [by the reaction]. When the representative [of the Romany organization] justified its case, I understood that it [the video] could be seen that way. I promised them that I would remove the video.”

In Finland, white privilege is so ingrained in society that one can make a racist video and claim ignorance.

Stealing is one of the oldest stereotypes about the Romany minority.

Even if the media will not publish the chief executive’s name and company, it is FS Security.

Since the end of December, security companies like Avarn Security and Securitas have been under close scrutiny concerning the use of excessive force. In January, they caused the death of a victim they apprehended.

The present story is only a further example of the challenges faced by security companies.

The story’s author did not reply to an email by Migrant Tales on why the tabloid did not publish the name of the security company and its chief executive.

Finland’s youth gang story is a close relative to the USA stolen election lie story

Posted on February 16, 2023 by Migrant Tales

Looking at the number of stories written about the so-called youth gang problem in Finland, it is interesting to note that reporting of the issue by Yle doubled compared with the eight months of the year.

Stories about Sweden’s youth gang problem started to pick up in the fall after Sweden’s 11 September parliamentary election. Before the election (during 1 January-10 September 2022), Yle published 29 stories, but from 11 September to 16 February, the number of stories soared by 124% to 65.

The number of stories during those periods under review remains stable for Helsingin Sanomat, MTV, Ilta.Sanomat and Iltalehti.

Why did Yle its coverage of the topic? Are politicians pulling some strings behind the scenes?

Considering that we are in an election year and, due to past actions of the police and media in cities like Oulu, is the whole gang “problem” in Finland a storm in a teacup. Is it something that politicians from the Perussuomalaiset – excuse the language – pulled out of their asses? Is it similar to the stolen election lies spread by MAGA Republicans?

If it is true that the whole youth gang story is grossly exaggerated for political purposes, what responsibility does the media have for perpetuating the story?

Law enforcement institutions like the police, Finnish Border Guard, and others must make a case to acquire funds. What better way than to warn the public of a danger that does not yet exist but needs resources?

The media should do a better job and void being taken for rides by politicians and the police.

A rebuttal by Riikka Purra that exposes the PS’ arrogance and desperation

Posted on February 10, 2023 by Migrant Tales

A rebuttal by Perussuomalaiset (PS)* head Riikka Puura to a recent Helsingin Sanomat editorial reveals arrogance and desperation. If the PS’ favorite talking points about immigrants are challenged forcibly as today, matters do not bode well for the party that has based its election fuel on spreading xenophobia.

Helsingin Sanomat rebuked PS’ anti-immigration rhetoric: “When the PS refuses to accept [hard] facts, it no longer makes sense, even from a purely selfish point of view. And when the party suggests that Finland should learn from Japan’s population policy, it sounds downright desperate.

PS MPs Lulu Ranne and Riikka Purra posing with the radical-right party’s latest policy statement on immigration. The suggestions made by the PS aim to worsen the situation and further disenfranchise the rights of migrants and minorities. Even so, Randen and especially Purra are smiling.

A common strategy of the PS’ and Purras’ arrogance and desperation became clear in the rebuttal: “Unlike other parties – or the media – the True Finns base their immigration policy on research and statistics, not on building castles in the sky. A permanent increase in net immigration will only help reduce the sustainability gap if the newcomers’ employment rate and income level do not differ greatly from the native population.”

A party that is out of touch with the times

Posted on February 9, 2023 by Migrant Tales

A good editorial by Helsingin Sanomat about how the radical-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* is the only party against bringing labor migrants to Finland and the threat such intransigency implies for the country.

It writes: “When the PS refuses to accept [hard] facts, it no longer makes sense, even from a purely selfish point of view. And when the party suggests that Finland should learn from Japan’s population policy, it sounds downright desperate.”

Contrary to the three parliamentary elections of 2011, 2015, and 2019, the PS faces a dilemma: Will its xenophobic message carry and encourage voters to vote for the party? Being called the only party against labor migrants could be a liability that will cost the PS dearly in April.

Moreover, the political atmosphere has also changed thanks to Covid, economic uncertainty, graying of the Finnish population, and the war in Ukraine.