Tag: Racism

A racist harassing a young Muslim woman at the bus terminal of Mikkeli, Finland

Posted on by Migrant Tales

On taking the 8:30 pm bus today to Helsinki from Mikkeli, a white-middle-aged redneck (WhiMAR) started to get too close to a young young woman, possibly from Afghanistan, with an older woman and a young man. It wasn’t clear what the man said to the young woman, but he told his fat WhiMAR friend that, “She’s a good-looking woman even if she wears a rag [hijab].”

I told the WhiMAR  to “behave” and stop harassing the woman. He stopped and appeared a little stunned that somebody cared.

The EU holds elecions on May 23-26 and Finland parliamentary elections on April 14. Source: European Network Against Racism.

On he bus, I told the driver to check with the surveillance camera if the harassment by the man persisted.

Let’s hope that nothing happens.

Kemi is a good example of Finland’s hostile environment against asylum seekers and migrants

Posted on by Migrant Tales

The small 50-70 strong Iraqi community of the northern Finnish city of Kemi (pop. 21,256 in 2017) is feeling the brunt of the Islamophobic reaction of the highly publicized sexual assault cases of Oulu, located just 106 km from the city. 

Even before the sexual assault cases became public at the end of last year, the situation of the small Iraqi community of Kemi was problematic.

One Iraqi resident of Kemi alleged in 2017 that the Red Cross advised Muslim asylum seekers not leave their homes after eight pm on Saturdays because it was too dangerous.

Apart from the hostile environment against asylum seekers and presence of far-right vigilante groups like the Soldiers of Odin, one asylum seeker was shot at in 2016 and another one had his middle finger broken by a member of the vigilante group.

And let’s not forget Islamophobic Kemi city counsellors like Harri Tauriainen of the Perussuomalaiset* party.

“Matters are now worse [in Kemi] than before because of what happened in Oulu,” said a former asylum seeker, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Kemi is a city located 106 km from Oulu and 711 km north from Helsinki. Source: MTV.

According to the Kemi resident,  Iraqis fear going out of their homes at night. One asylum seeker who went to Lidl, called the source at 8.30 pm because he feared walking back home at night.

Continue reading “Kemi is a good example of Finland’s hostile environment against asylum seekers and migrants”

One step forward for Islamophobes and two steps back for the Finnish media

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Teuvo Hakkarainen, convicted for ethnic agitation and sexual harassment, is on the roll with the media again. This time, the PS MP has taped on his car anti-immigration slogans like “stop refugee terrorism – out of this country every [asylum seeker] man.” 

These type of racist slogans are in special bad taste after what happened in New Zealand, where a white supremacist murdered in cold blood 50 Muslims.

While Hakkarainen is getting free advertisement and laughing all the way to the bank, few if any media is openly condemning this type of Islamophobia. At least not Helsingin Sanomat..

The Helsingin Sanomat article makes no mention about Hakkarainen’s criminal record or even questions his claim that asylum seekers cost Finland 3.2 billion euros a year. Hakkarainen’s source is a tabloid, Iltalehti, of a blogger that belongs to the same party as the PS MP and who is staunchly Islamophobic.

Read the full story (in Finnish) here.

Considering that the PS was in government (2015-2017) and that its chairperson, Jussi Halla-aho played down what happened in New Zealand and that one of its youth leaders condoned what happened by blaming it on “multiculturalism,” it is clear why there is a hostile environment in Finland against Muslims and migrants.

Such type of weak reporting happens a lot because the media somehow agrees with politicians like Hakkarainen.

The media is one clear culprit in Finland’s hostile environment.

Continue reading “One step forward for Islamophobes and two steps back for the Finnish media”

The Perussuomalaiset of Finland try to play down New Zealand atrocities but fail

Posted on by Migrant Tales

In Finland, the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* is an extremist far-right party that fear-mongers about Muslims and migrants. For many PS politicians, the Oulu sexual abuse cases came as an election lifesaver until Friday, when an Australian white supremacist murdered in cold blood 49 Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand. 

The future for the PS looks bleak. Different stories about the party speculate that some 200,000 voters are going to ditch the PS in the April 14 parliamentary elections.

From the reactions of some PS members to the atrocities in New Zealand, show a sense of dread.

What do extremists do when a murderous killing happens by people who are ideologically in the same ballpark? They find excuses to justify what happened, play it down or change the story completely.

Here is a PS Youth leader of Lapland who condones what happened.

 

What did Johannes Sipola say in the tweet?

“The New Zealand case show ever-convincingly that multicultural society does not work. When other people [of other backgrounds] rape and kill enough [people], it is only a question of time when there will be a reaction from the opposite side. First and foremost, everyone defends their own.”

Continue reading “The Perussuomalaiset of Finland try to play down New Zealand atrocities but fail”

Shed an alligator tear for me: Foreign Minister Timo Soini condemns terrorist attack in New Zealand

Posted on by Migrant Tales

After creating a hostile environment against Muslims and migrants in Finland, Blue Reform* Foreign Minister Timo Soini has the audacity to condemn what happened in New Zealand as “cowardly,” according to Yle News. We condemn him and the actions of the Finnish government of cowardice in the face of defending and making every Muslim and migrant feel secure in Finland.

Disagree?

Check out the news coming from Oulu, which is named in the manifesto of the white supremacist that killed in cold blood about 50 Muslims during Friday prayers in Christchurch, New Zealand.

 

Read the full story here.

* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. Despite the name changes, we believe that it is the same party in different clothing. Both factions are hostile to cultural diversity never mind Muslims and other visible minorities. One is more open about it while the other says it in a different way.

A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote 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 after that the acronym PS.

Newly appointed ombudswoman for children talks only about the plight of white children

Posted on by Migrant Tales

THIS STORY WAS UPDATED

The Helsingin Sanomat headline of the newly appointed Ombudswoman for Children, Elina Pekkarinen, says it all: “the new Ombudswoman for Children knows the needs of Finnish children. OK, fair enough. Newspapers decide on the wording of the headline. Even so, there is not one word mentioned how the new ombudswoman will protect the rights and situation of non-white Finnish children. 

One gets the view after reading the article that only white children who live in Finland matter. These cliens are served by other white officials who smile in pictures.

But all of this could be a mistake, right? Here is Migrant Tales overreacting again.

I visited the Ombudswoman for Children website and all the pictures portray the ideal family and smiling authorities who are all white.

If the webpage was anything to go by, there are no non-white children and parents living in Finland.

Read the full story (in Finnish) here.

The fact that the article is all smiles and all white tells me which groups calls the shots in Finland. It is another example how non-white children are treated and represented as second- and third-class members of Finnish society.

Comments Christian Thibault, Liikkukaa CEO: “Although we have to give Elina Pekkainen the benefit of the doubt, the attitude displayed in the HS article must raise eyebrows. Over 20% of the children in the Helsinki-Vantaa-Espoo region have at least one parent who was born in another country than Finland. It is naive, or even negligent, to maintain color blindness towards the situation of those children.”

And adds: “The statistics about discrimination and experience of violence by children [of color] with at least one immigrant parent speak volumes.”

Ahti Tolvanen, chairperson of the Forum for Foreign Scholars, writes on Facebook: “What exactly is the condition of underaged children seeking asylum in this country? Seems many are kept with their parents in the same substandard reception centres in overcrowded conditions. Are suspect kids of parents with asylum refusals often get separated from their parents just like in the US? This lady has an assignment waiting for her.”

Susannah, a member of Migrant Tales who writes on condition of anonymity, writes: “The constitution also guarantees rights to migrants. One of these rights is not to be returned to a country where your life would be in danger.”

Congratulations on your appointment, Elina Pekkarinen, but what are you going to do about improving the plight of non-white Finnish children and families? This question is not addressed in the Helsingin Sanomat article.

Just asking.

See also:

Exposing Finnish white privilege #61: #NoRacismInUniversity #WeAreNotSkinColour

Posted on by Migrant Tales

The fact that a group of black researchers headed by Dr Faith Mkwesha are challenging institutional racism at Åbo Akademi reveals a lot about the nature of the beast and how too little is done today to tackle racism. Dr Mkwesha is a researcher at Helsinki University and Åbo Akademi. 

A petition, which has already received over 1,100 signatures, requests the rector of Åbo Akademi University, Mikko Hupa, and the Minister of Education Sanni Grahn-Laasonen to put an end to all forms of racism against black, brown and racialized students at Finnish universities.

You can sign the petition here.

According to Dr Mkwesha, a black researcher at Åbo Akademi University found a racist card in the mailbox of her office. When a complaint was filed to the head of the gender studies department, there was nothing done to support and protect the researcher.

Continue reading “Exposing Finnish white privilege #61: #NoRacismInUniversity #WeAreNotSkinColour”

NCP’s Petteri Orpo and his infamous xenophobic and anti-immigration statements

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Economy Minister Petteri Orpo, who is also the chairperson of the National Coalition Party (NCP), was and is instrumental for having tightened Finland’s immigration policy when he was the interior minister (2015-2016). As a minister in Prime Minister Juha Sipilä, he was instrumental in undermining the rights of asylum seekers and migrant community. 

One of his many infamous anti-immigration statements was when he equated asylum seekers coming from the Russian border as water from “a leaking roof.”

In light of the Oulu sexual assault cases, Orpo jumped on the populist bandwagon again by stating that migrants should embrace Finnish values. Iraqis, according to him, are “a challenge” to Finland.

Finance Minister Petteri Orpo considers Iraqis “a challenge” to Finland. He suggests that all Muslim men are chauvinists who oppress women (sic!). Read the full story here.

Continue reading “NCP’s Petteri Orpo and his infamous xenophobic and anti-immigration statements”

Police officer who insulted and hit a woman gets suspended for three months

Posted on by Migrant Tales

A police offer who insulted and hit a woman in a taxi line in Turku was suspended for three months from work, according to tabloid Iltalehti. Considering the racist statements made by the police officer, who in his words was too drunk to remember what he said, why wasn’t he sacked?

National Police Commissioner Seppo Kolehmainen tweeted in February that racism has no place in the Finnish police service.  He announced the following steps to tackle racism in the police service. These included a new equality and diversity plan approved in June 2017; an “ethical channel” where police can anonymously report racism; and mandatory social media training for the police to reinforce rules of good conduct, among other measures.

A hate crime report published by the National Forum for Cooperation of Religions (CORE) Thursday stated that one problem in reporting hate crime to the police is the lack of trust.

Read the full story here.

A survey published in 2016, showed that 25.1% of 2,489 policemen surveyed voted for the conservative National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) and 24.4% for the Islamophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party. Long Play, an investigative online website, revealed in June 2017, a secret Facebook group consisted of mostly police officers and which made racist statements about Muslims, minorities and migrants.

* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. Despite the name changes, we believe that it is the same party in different clothing. Both factions are hostile to cultural diversity never mind Muslims and other visible minorities. One is more open about it while the other says it in a different way.

A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote 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 after that the acronym PS.

 

Habiba Ali: Stand up for your rights and don’t remain quiet if you are treated unjustly

Posted on by Migrant Tales

THIS STORY WAS UPDATED

Habiba Ali, a Social Democrat candidate for parliament and city councilor for Espoo, was stopped on Saturday by a security guard at the Entresse Shopping Center’s Lidl and wrongly suspected of shoplifting a can of tuna fish. Ali asked the security guard, who treated her with respect, why she would shoplift a can of tuna if she just purchased a lot of food from the market. 

She emptied her pockets and presto, no can of tuna fish.

Two employees of Lidl did not. According to Ali, they smiled and mocked her in a demeaning way.

Ali said that she has never been humiliated in such a way in public. It was the first time she had ever been stopped by a security guard and suspected of shoplifting.

“You cannot imagine how embarrassing it was for me and stopped by the guard and two Lidl employees,” she said. “I’ll never forget how one of the employees doubted my word and mocked me. She claimed that I had put the can of tuna fish back on the shelf.”

A lot of things have happened since that incident at Lidl. The general manager of the company called Ali and apologized on behalf of the company for what had happened.

“I asked the general manager that I want to discuss what happened and meet him personally together with the employee that treated me in a demeaning way,” she added.

Ali said it was important for People of Color to stand up for their rights and to speak out if they encounter unjust treatment.

 

Watch the video (in Finnish) here.

Continue reading “Habiba Ali: Stand up for your rights and don’t remain quiet if you are treated unjustly”