Tag: Racism

Comment: Here is another example of how the PS cannot put a lid on their own racism. Tabloid Iltalehti reports that PS MP Juho Eerola’s aide, Ulla Pyysalo, posted a racist joke about Green Party MP Jani Toivola, who is black and gay.

Here is MP Toivola’s reaction to the “joke” on the Green Pary website. 

These types of “jokes” by people close to Eerola shouldn’t come as a suprise since the MP from Kotka belongs to the far right wing of the PS. If Eerola were Hungarian, Swedish or Danish, he’d find his ideological home in parties like Jobbik, Sweden Democrats or the Danish People’s Party.

A member of the Nazi-spirited Suomen Sisu, Eerola has praised in the past Benito Mussolini’s economic model. If he is really that lured by a corporativist model, he should take some time to study Juan Domingo Perón’s economic model for Argentina during the 1940s and 1950s.

Eerola, like his PS anti-immigration cronies, are responsible for inciting some Finns to adopt even more hardline and unrealistic positions when it comes to immigration.

Pyysalo regrets what she said on Ilatlehti: “It was dumb, I didn’t want to insult Toivola personally.” 

The tabloid asked if she considers herself a racist. “I don’t know. It depends how you define racism.”

How you define racism? What about a racist joke on Facebook?! The excuses by the PS on how to make their racism more acceptable takes stranger forms by the day. 

When contacted, Toivola expressed dismay at what Eerola’s aide had written on Facebook. 

One of the matters that far-right PS MPs like Eerola are trying to do in Finland is make something unacceptable like racism acceptable. At the forefront of this shift in values is nobody else but the PS.

Are you surprised?

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Linda Pelkonen

Kansanedustaja Juho Eerolan (ps) avustaja Ulla Pyysalo julkaisi rasistisen vitsin Facebook-profiilissaan sunnuntaina. Kirjoituksessa vitsailtiin Jani Toivolan ihonväristä ja seksuaalisesta suuntautumisesta.

Read whole story.

Comment: Does it need any? Here is the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party MP, Teuvo Hakkarainen, whose racists gaffes  made him infamous in spring. On the campaign trail, Hakkarainen claimed he was a teetotaler but that was evidently a lie. According to the Iltalehti clip, the PS MP is being carried out by two doormen at a bar because he was too drunk to stand on his feet.

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Kansaneduataja Teuvo Hakkarainen sammui pöytään ja hänet jouduttiin poistamaan Mierontie -ravintolasta kahden miehen voimin.

See video clip.

By Enrique Tessieri

The first time I wrote an entry on this question on Migrant Tales was in May 2008. Back then, a thread by Mikko claimed that racism wasn’t even on the top-five list of problems in Finland. Is racism a serious social problem that needs to be addressed vigorously? Where do we begin?

We can state pretty safely today that racism is not only one of the top five problems in Finland, but an ever-growing one that must be addressed.

Surprisingly, the main source of this problem haven’t been the most extremist anti-immigration wing of the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party, but that of the mainstream parties such as Kokoomus, Social Democrats and others.  Even if there are outspoken politicians in these parties who speak out against racism, they are a minority and too quiet on this front.

If politicians do not condemn hate crimes, speak out for tolerance and acceptance, they will with their silence support this social menace threatening Finland today.

The appointment in April of PS MP Jussi Halla-aho as chair of the administration committee, whose responsibilities also include immigration policy, is a sad example of how Finnish politicians continue to vacillate and confront racism in our society.

Those who defend the appointment of Halla-aho believe that it will help let off steam from the most extremist elements of the PS. I believe it will let off steam, but in the wrong direction.

It was in 2008 when Finland was up in arms about the founding of the Finnish Islamic Party, which awoke some of the worst fears among some Finns. Contrarily, Halla-aho’s appointment tells us that we prize Islamophobia and bigotry but give a big thumbs down to other cultures and religions if they want to take part in our democratic process.

The rise of the PS in the April election and that of Nazi-spirited groups within Timo Soini’s party that are members of  Suomen Sisu, increased hate crimes never mind the adverse climate against immigrants and minorities, are clear indications that the strategy against right-wing populism has been a huge failure.

If I had to advise other countries about how to confront the rise of right-wing populist parties that are anti-EU, anti-immigration and anti-Islam, I would show them Finland as a sad example of what not to do.

All of this boils down to one crucial factor: Dear little leadership from mainstream political parties confronting right-wing populism and the social menace of racism.

As long as Finland is cursed by weak leadership, its future as a prosperous nation will be in jeopardy.

By Enrique Tessieri

If the Nazi-spirited Suomen Sisu and Perusuomalaiset (PS) MPs were an onion, what would we find at its center? A twenty-first century version of the solution without the scary adjective “final?” Racism in its most hostile form? A huge factory turning out urban myths about immigrants and minorities?

Helsingin Sanomat exposed on Sunday just how this minority within the PS operate.  During April and May, five bus drivers of immigrant background were attacked in the Helsinki region.  Since the number of hate crimes reported by the Finnish media grew after the PS election victory in April, PS MP Jussi Halla-aho attempted to play down these reports.

The PS MP claimed that it wasn’t immigrant bus drivers that were being attacked but Finnish ones in greater numbers. What Halla-aho didn’t tell us was that he lumped all bus drivers as Finns, even those that were Finnish citizens with immigrant backgrounds.

In another story published today by tabloid Iltalehti of Mambo group singer Tero Vaara, we are starting to see the real face of the beast.   On the popular Finnish singer’s website he let’s it all hang out in the classical Suomen Sisu and Hommaforum anti-immigration style. In the interview, Vaara equates multiculturalism to communism.

The latter catchphrase is one of the many favorites used by the anti-immigration crowd in Finland.  I highly doubt many like Vaara know what multiculturalism means.

In the most general terms, a good synonym for multiculturalism is cultural diversity.  When people like Vaara claim they oppose multiculturalism are they stating that they want Finland to remain white? What about those that are of other ethnic backgrounds? Don’t they have a right to embrace and cherish Finnish culture on their terms like everyone else?

Like a rising sun behind Vaara, Suomen Sisu appears conspicuously in the following quote on Iltalehti:  “I don’t believe that multiculturalism in its present form is a good thing (and) that the result of the complete mixing of cultures and religions would be only positive.”

What is wrong with this statement? For one, does cultural diversity mean that everyone is mixing? Isn’t it, however, normal that cultures mix? With whom and how much depends on the person.

Some may still ask why the Finnish Criminal Police (KRP) and Supo see Suomen Sisu as a Nazi-spirited associaiton. The answer lies in their ideology, which is based on the myth of  ethnic and cultural purity. This same view is held by the American Nazi Party, Klu Klux Klan and other associations that are openly hostile to immigrants and minorities.

A Suomen Sisu t-shirt promoting “racial hygiene” in Finland. Source: Vallan vahtikoira.

One of Suomen Sisu’s recommended authors on their reading list is Alfred Rosenberg. This Nazi party pseudo-philosopher promoted ideas that were the antithesis of cultural diversity. The argument was simple: People like the Jews and others who did not or could not share the Nazi ideology were dangerous to Germany and hindered the Aryans from becoming the master race.  The fewer Jews that lived in Germany the better.

If we take this latter claim and look at it in a present-day context, we will find striking and scary similarities.  Hint: Replace Jew for Muslim.

So what are the Suomen Sisu and anti-immigration crowd telling us? What is their message?

Do away with cultural diversity, water down civil rights, acceptance and recognition of immigrants, Finns and minorities of different backgrounds.

Comment: The one-sided debate in Finland on immigrants, refugees and immigration to Finland has been an exercise in finding suitable scapegoats by anti-immigration groups like Hommaforum and parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS).  In the column by Mikko Heikka below, the bishop of the Lutheran Church  argues how Finland’s poor have been driven against immigrants.

“One of the key topics that arose after the election was immigration,” he writes. “…Immigrants are seen as enemies that eat from the tables of Finns.”

One of the biggest problems in the ongoing debate in Finland is the lack of leadership by politicians of the mainstream parties.  Since public figures are not speaking out strongly enought against racism, it makes it more acceptable among some Finns. 

It is, however, a good matter that the Lutheran Church is standing up to this social ill that is threatening the country.

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Mikko Heikka

Köyhyys nousi huhtikuussa pidettyjen eduskuntavaalien tärkeäksi teemaksi. Myös hallitusneuvotteluissa asia on nähty keskeiseksi. Köyhyys ei kuitenkaan ole uusi ongelma. Jo vuosia kirkon tutkimukset ja piispojen puheenvuorot ovat tuoneet esille kasvavan köyhyyden seuraukset erityisesti pitkäaikaistyöttömien, lapsiperheiden ja yksinelävien arjessa. Näitä puheenvuoroja ei ole kuultu.

Read whole story.

By Enrique Tessieri

Perussuomalaiset (PS) Rovaniemi city councilman Hemmo Koskimies’ blog entry, ”Justified racism – a ‘n-word’ lives alone in a 75m2 home,” (the blog post was deleted by Uusi Suomi) still appears without any correction despite emails to Uusi Suomi’s editor-in-chief Markku Huusko and owner Niklas Herlin. A number of phone calls were made to Huusko but they were never returned by him.

Migrant Tales published on June 7 an entry on Koskiniemi’s blog writing.

The only person that answered my phone calls was Jarmo Koponen, an Uusi Suomi producer. He was helpful but told me that the net publication is not responsible for what their bloggers publish.

Good ethical standards in writing should apply to bloggers as well.  In the case of Koskiniemi, Uusi Suomi should require him to put out a correction or ask him to take the entry off the blog.

Neither of these have been done concerning the entry published on May 21, where Koskiniemi accuses the immigrant of getting special advantages at the cost of the city, state and a single Finnish father with two children.

Migrant Tales did get in touch with the City of Rovaniemi to find out if what the PS councilman wrote is correct. It is evident from the email reply from the city that Koskiniemi is exaggerating to say the least. The city claims no wrongdoing.

This case is of interest to us for a number of reasons: (1) It shows how politicians can make irresponsible bigotted statements with near-impunity; (2) stereotypes and racism are reinforced as a result and affect the whole immigrant community; (3) the response to these types of misinformation and “justified racism” show how prejudice and hatred of immigrants have mushroomed on the net and in Finnish society as of late.

The Koskiniemi case reveals as well how publishers, editors, even politicians, turn a blind eye and even take part in these types of spiteful writings.

Since I sent the first email to Uusi Suomi on June 1 to Huusko, and three more to him, Koponen and owner Herlin,what else is there to do?

Should we throw in the towel or send the matter to the Council for Mass Media in Finland (JSN)?

Since Koskiniemi is a public figure of Finland’s third-largest political party, he is not only responsible but accountable for what he says.

Whatever the response of the JSN is, like the near-silence from Uusi Suomi, it will be highly revealing. It should, at least, give us some indication how to react to racist misinformation on the net by public figures.

At least it will tell us why this social ill is alive and kicking on the net.