Tag: Racism

Comment: Here is an excellent example below what is wrong in Finland with the ongoing debate on racism. The story below is apparently a rebuttal to another one published in Savon Sanomat, where Riita Wärn of the Confederation of Finnish Industry (EK), warns that growing racism in Finland could hinder its image and scare off skilled immigrants from moving to this country. 

While it is a good matter that a predominantly white Finnish lobby group is making such a statement, another white Finnish person, general manager Janne Vihavainen of bus company Veolia Transport affirms that racism isn’t growing in Finland. “We cannot state that racism has grown significantly in Finland,” he said.

What worries me  about these types of debates like between Wärn and Vihavainen is that there are no immigrants or visible minorities giving their opinion on the matter. Even though I side with the woman from EK and commend that association for speaking out against such a social ill, there are still no immigrants giving their opinion.

Are immigrants or their associations too afraid to speak out? Do reporters shy from asking them if there is racism in Finland because they feel uncomfortable about what they may hear and have to write?

We don’t have to use a real immigrant such a question. Why not ask a Multicultural Finn if there is racism in this country?

The question is why we don’t ask these groups this important question.

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Viljami Vuorento

Pääkaupunkiseudun linja-autoliikennöitsijät eivät allekirjoita Elinkeinoelämän Keskusliiton Savon Sanomille kertomaa näkemystä rasismin lisääntymisestä. EK:n työvoima- ja maahanmuuttopolitiikan asiantuntijan Riitta Wärnin mukaan maahanmuuttajiin on alettu viime vuoden aikana suhtautua aiempaa penseämmin. Erityisen huolissaan EK on maahanmuuttajavaltaisten alojen työvoimapulasta.

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Comment: The Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK) is concerned about racism in Finland and how it could tarnish the country’s good image and scare off skilled immigrants.”Before drunkards would yell (at immigrants) at night,” said EK’s Riita Wärn. “Harassment now happens at day. This is very worrying.”

While it is a positive sign that more pressure groups and common Finns are speaking out against racism, I am pretty certain that the election victory of the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party in April already tarnished the country’s image.  The PS doesn’t have to worry about skilled labor coming to Finland because there are more attractive and friendlier countries to move to in Europe.

Even if racism and discrimination is raising its head in Finland, the most probable thing is that it always existed but never had a reason to come out in such force as today.

Do you agree?

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Jukka Patrakka

Elinkeinoelämän keskusliitto (EK) on huolissaan ulkomaalaisten lisääntyneestä häirinnästä. EK:n mukaan asenteet ovat koventuneet selvästi viimeisen vuoden aikana. Varsinkin turvapaikanhakijoihin ja romanikerjäläisiin, mutta myös muihin maahanmuuttajiin on alettu suhtautua penseästi.

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Comment:  Changing the laws is not enough to tackle a social ill like racism but leadership like Deputy Mayor Pekka Sauri of the Green Party showed on a tram in Helsinki helps a lot. A black family had entered the tram. This prompted a middle-aged man, who was apparently inebriated and drinking beer, to harass the family. Sauri reacted and asked the man to get off the tram, which he did. 

Sauri said that the incident, which was first reported by tabloid Iltalehti, shows that the world has become a dangerous place and that people should react and speak out when something like this happens.

“I have got a lot of reaction, 98% positive, after the story was published ,” he said. “I have got feedback from a few racists (as well).”

Despite the leadership shown by Sauri, the deputy mayor said that what concerned him most about the incident was the silence of the  passengers.

He said that people should just say “Stop!” loudly enough if such an incident occurred again. “The harassment could stop (as a result),” he said.

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Pauliina Pietilä

Helsingin apulaiskaupunginjohtaja Pekka Sauri kertoo saaneensa paljon kiitosta puututtuaan rasistiseen tilanteeseen eilen Helsingissä. Sauri istui eilen illalla tuttujensa kanssa raitiovaunu 10:ssä, kun Kansaneläkelaitoksen pysäkin kohdalla sisään nousi afrikkalaistaustainen perhe.

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Comment: I just love whenever I read that the police is “surprised” by the rise of racist attitudes in Finland. In an interview given to YLE, Etelä-Karjala region police chief Jyrki Wasastjernan said it was a surprise that such attitudes are rising even though the number of hate crimes reported to the authorities continue to be small.

Migrant Tales has assisted some immigrants in reporting hate crimes to the police. Reporting such a crime is easier said than done.

A serious journalist should do a bit more digging and find out why so few hate crimes are reported to the police and why racist attitudes towards Russians are gaining strength in cities like Imatra. Probably one answer is that the police and authorities don’t want to admit that hate crimes are a major problem facing our society and therefore rely too much on statistics for the truth.

I am certain that a hand-on-heart chat with some random Russian residents of Imatra could reveal a lot more than statistical information.

Just because hate crimes against immigrants in Etelä-Karjala is small could reveal just the opposite: racism, which undermines trust and credibility, is seen as such a big problem by some immigrants that they don’t bother to report it. It’s a bit like living in a dictatorship. You don’t report human rights violations because you fear you could become a victim.

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Poliisin näkökulmasta rasististen asenteiden kasvaminen Etelä-Karjalassa on yllätys. Rasistisia piirteitä sisältäneitä rikoksia on kuitenkin tullut esiin vain muutamia vuosittain.

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Comment: Salon Seudun Sanomat reports that the odd-job man who was laid off from his job apparently because of his ethnic background plans to sue his former employer, Salon Omakotiyhdistys ry. 

The step taken by the laid-off employee is important for a number of reasons. For one, he is not only challenging racial discrimination at his former job but exposing how possibly other Finnish companies hire and fire immigrants. Challenging discrimination at the workplace and elsewhere is important for the sake of our children and future generations.

This case is a good example of how the media can bring to light discrimination in Finland and how it can be addressed.

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Salon omakotiyhdistys rikkoi maahanmuuttajatalkkarin työsuhteen lopettamisessa mahdollisesti kahta lakia. Näin sanoo Lounais-Suomen aluehallintoviraston työsuojelun vastuualueen lakimies Vesa Ullakonoja.

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Comment: Here is a good example of how prejudice and racism work together in Finland. An odd-job man that worked for Salon Omakotiyhtistys was given the boot because clients complained that he was not only an immigrant but black as well. This happened in the city of Salo, located near Turku.

Imagine being hired to do a job and then your boss tells you that you have the wrong skin color and/or ethnic background.

I hope that victim gets hold of a good lawyer and sues the company for discrimination.

Do you agree?

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Salon omakotiyhdistyksen palkkaama maahanmuuttajataustainen talkkari ei kelvannut kaikille yhdistyksen jäsenille. He antoivat aiheesta palautetta myös puheenjohtajalleen Jaakko Korpelalle. Korpela sanoo suoraan, että asiakkaat eivät ottaneet talkkarin palveluja, kun kuulivat, että hän on maahanmuuttaja ja musta.

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