Tag: Racism

Kärkkäinen: A company that believes racism, anti-Semitism and homophobic views sit well with the Finnish consumer and public

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We have to thank our vigilant contributor Ana María Gutiérrez Sorainen for exposing another underhanded trick by Juha Kärkkäinen to slip through the back door his anti-cultural diversity, anti-Semitic and homophobic views in KauppaSuomi, a advertising newspaper to promote and showcase his company’s products.  

It’s not the first time that Kärkkäinen has showed his racist views. In 2014, an appeals court upheld a Ylivieska-Raahe court ethnic agitation ruling Kärkkäinen for publishing anti-Semitic opinion pieces on Magneettimedia, reported YLE. He has published anti-Semitic writings of Adrian Salbuch, Ted Pike, David Duke and others as well as cartoons that bear a resemblance to the former Nazi tabloid, Der Strümer (1923-45).

A racist passage of the opinion piece that claims that white Finns will soon be overtaken by migrants. Source: KauppaSuomi.

The fact that Kärkkäinen got sentenced for ethnic agitation and continues to publish these types of views raises a questions: Does he believe that by spreading racist views will increase his department store’s sales?

In an opinion piece written in KauppaSuomi headlined, “Schools were turned into political brainwashing centers – who’s to blame?” the publication hits cultural diversity at schools by slamming Nordic values like social equality and labeling asylum seekers as rapist criminals. The opinion piece is homo-, transphobic and anti-Semitic as well.

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PS MP Ville Tavio: An Islamophobe that is bent on keeping white Finnish power and privilege at any cost and lie

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When publishing anti-immigration rhetoric by politicians like Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Ville Tavio, it’s very important to lead with the following warning: “MP Talk gives members of parliament the opportunity to share their views on Finnish society with an international audience. The opinions expressed in this column are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Helsinki Times.“

MP Tavio is a PS MP who has declared war and wants to relegate non-white Finns and migrants to second- and third-class citizens.

Read the full op-ed piece at your peril here. He makes impossible campaign promises that will catch up with him one day like with the PS in the municipal elections of Sunday. The PS are known as a turncoat party because they’ve broken most of their campaign promises.

A recent op-ed piece in Uusi Suomi by the MP from Turku suggested that the Finnish constitution should be changed to give Finns priority over foreigners when it comes to rights.

“The sovereignty that the Finnish state entitles it to decide that its primary task is safeguarding the rights of its own citizens [at the cost of migrants],” he wrote.

Tavio is a lawyer so he should know better what the constitution says and guarantees about equality before the law. His issue, like all of the far-right anti-immigration wing of the PS, is to keep white Finnish power and privilege even if it means relegating migrants to second- and third-class citizens.

The op-ed piece in the Helsinki Times is another example of his disdain and hostility towards migrants and minorities in Finland.

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Oppression doesn’t turn you into a terrorist, neither does poverty make you a racist

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             War and injustice don’t turn a person into a terrorist.    

In the same way, poverty doesn’t turn you into a racist. 

In life we make choices on how to challenge the injustices we face. Our reaction to them differ greatly. Most people, who suffer injustice, don’t take up arms or carry out a terrorist act. If injustice doesn’t turn you automatically into a terrorist neither does poverty make you a racist. You turned into a racist because you were already one.

 Some politicians tell us that racism is a natural outcome because there is poverty. It isn’t, that’s denial of the social ill. Just because there are injustices doesn’t mean you will plant a bomb and kill people.

How do I know? Because I was once there as a young man trying to figure out what I should do to challenge a military government in Argentina that robbed my civil and human rights. I chose instead to write and fight with all my might today as an activist.

Two pictures, two similar realities 

The two pictures below represent for me the harrowing face of the ongoing deportations from Finland and Europe. One was taken on Tuesday night by a thirteen-year-old adolescent from the Joutseno immigration removal center.

Searchlights, barbwire, and barred windows in a country below greet an adolescent in Finland, a country that claims to respect the rule of law and human rights.

The young person that took the first picture below will apparently be deported from Finland Wednesday together with her 6 brothers and sisters and parents. The youngest of the family is 1.5 years and the eldest, 14.

Below that picture Ali’s, who was deported in January back to Iraq. Barred windows greet him and us as well.

Two pictures, two terrible realities and the last stops of a long journey to freedom that ended in failure.

This picture was taken Tuesday by an adolescent who faces deportation with her family of nine Wednesday. She says “good night” to us. Picture taken by asylum seeker.

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Finnish municipal elections analysis: Anti-immigration and us-vs-them politics aren’t sustainable

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One of the most important lessons of Sunday’s municipal elections is that the right-wing populist Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, and especially its conservative anti-immigration message and wing, are the biggest losers. 

Since the party’s historic election victory of 2011, when it gained 39 seats in parliament from 5 previously, migrants, minorities and our ever-growing culturally diverse community has been the target of a hostile campaign by the PS.

Ever since the PS’ election victory of 2011, the right-wing populist party has made migrants and asylum seekers their favorite political target. Of all the Finnish parties, the PS are the only ones that have openly tried to capitalize on anti-immigration sentiment.

While the National Coalition Party won its third-straight municipal elections on Sunday with 20.7% of the vote, it was followed by the Social Democrats (19.4%), Center Party (17.5%), Greens (12.4%) and Left Alliance and the PS, which gained 8.8% apiece.

If the Greens made the biggest gains and the PS was the biggest losers, the Social Democrats were clearly a disappointment. Being in the opposition, their result was near-flat from the previous municipal elections of 2012.

 

 

With 100% of the votes counted, KOK (National Coalition Party) won and was followed by the SDP (Social Democratic Party), KESK (Center Party), VIHR (Green Party), VAS (Left Alliance), PS (Perussuomalaiset), RKP (Swedish People’s Party), KD (Christian Democrats) and MUUT (Others). Source: Helsingin Sanomat.

In many respects, the disastrous election result of the PS has come as sweet and long overdue payback for that party’s hostile and near-constant attacks against us. Outgoing PS chairman, Timo Soini, who has led their party since 1997, has played good cop, bad cop with the media.

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Finland’s blind spot of racism will persist for as long as we play dead and tango with it

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In the land of the blind, the person who can see with one eye is king.

A Latin American saying. 

National Coalition Party (NCP) Interior Minister Paula Risikko is a pretty questionable politician. The minister is deplorable for a number of reasons: she spreads suspicion of asylum seekers and migrants and doesn’t care to between distinguish what is a far-right anti-immigration group like Suomi Ensin (Finland First) and what is not. 

Interior Minister Risikko not only approves but has given the thumbs up to a far right Finland First demonstration in February.

With ministers like these supposedly serving migrants and minorities in Finland who needs enemies?

Interior Minister Paula Risikko giving the thumbs up at a far-right Finland First demonstration in February.

It’s clear that with politicians like Risikko and parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, NCP and Center Party in government, the country’s anti-immigration and anti-cultural diversity hostility will strengthen and not go away.

The answer why is right under our noses. It’s in Risikko’s thumbs up in February, PS Foreign Minister Timo Soini’s poker face when he speaks about racism in his party, Prime Minister Juha Sipilä’s broken promise of offering his home to asylum seekers in September 2015, it’s in the empty “we have zero tolerance for racism” statements from politicians and so-called multicultural associations that are supposed to challenge racism but fuel it instead with their inaction.

Take a look at how our immigration law has tightened under this government and how Finland, a country that prides itself for defending and promoting human rights, denies and keeps families separated. The wretched anti-immigration atmosphere in Finland can be found in the forced deportations of hapless asylum seekers and in our inhumane immigration policy that treats migrants first and foremost with suspicion.

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#cupofteawithme demonstration in Oulu, Finland, attacked with petrol bombs

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At 4:40am today a white car with three of four persons threw three petrol bombs at the tent where asylum seekers have been protesting since March. The police are investigating the incident. 

Seven days ago, on March 31, the demonstrators were forced to move from the city center to Torinranta, a worse location since there are fewer people and apparently more dangerous and prone to attacks.

The #cupofteawithme demonstration in Oulu started [on March 11] as a show of support to the #righttolife demonstration in Helsinki organized by Afghans, Iraqis and Finns.

“The people, especially the Lutheran church,  have supported us and been so good to us,” Ali Asaad Hasan, who has been involved with the demonstration in Oulu from day one, said recently.

The Iraqi asylum seeker said that today’s attack didn’t surprise him.

“Two days before this incident, a man came and sat near our tent and then kicked a barbecue grill where we warm our hands and disconnected the electricity cable,” Hasan said. “He then ran away but we caught him and called the police.”

One of the petrol bombs that didn’t work that was thrown at the tent. Fortunately, the fire was put out rapidly.

Mona Hyvärinen is one of the Finnish volunteers that helps the asylum seekers to organize their demonstration. She is unemployed and with the little money she has attempts to keep the protest afloat financially.

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Shamsul Alam is one of the new brave faces of Finland that nobody can make go away

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Racism and hate speech are social ills that have spread like wildfire in Finland. Racists in Finland come from the same place than other racists in other countries. It is unacceptable that in a country like Finland, which prides itself as a modern Nordic welfare state, that racism and hate speech can see another day with near-impunity. 

Finland will hold municipal elections on Sunday and there are a number of minority candidates running for city council. YLE reported that two municipal candidates of Helsinki, Green Party MP Ozan Yanar and Suldaan Said Ahmed of the Left Alliance, have received death threats as well as a constant barrage of racist abuse.

Kerava city council candidate, Shamsul Alam of the Left Alliance, has had to take his share of racist attacks. He has turned to the police to file charges against his attackers but neither has he heard from them nor his attackers been quieted and brought to justice.

The businessman from Bangladesh, who has lived in Finland for seven years, was brought to my attention by a Green Party candidate from the same city, Zoila Forss, who has faced as well her generous share of racist abuse.

The question we should be asking ourselves is why does this type of hate speech persist?  Why aren’t we hearing any strong condemnation from the government and other politicians? Is it because part of this hate speech emanates from the halls of power?

Silence is a political statement as well.

“I’m not too hopeful that justice will be brought against these people,” said Alam. “Apart from racism, why do these people attack me in such a way?”

The Left Alliance candidate has two children under the age of 7 years and he’s worried about their safety.

“I’m really very concerned about the safety of my children and must take steps to protect them,” he continued. “We still have to challenge racism and one of the best ways is to expose it in the media.”

“Even so, the government and politicians must speak out as well,” he added. “The police have yet to act on the racist harassment I have received.”

Apart from the police, what is the responsibility of social media multinational companies like Facebook in spreading such hatred and racism?

We wish Alam the best of luck in the municipal elections and are saddened by all the racist flack he has had to endure.

He’s the brave face of the new Finland, no question about that.

Kerava is a city located about 30km north of Helsinki. In this ad, Alam states that he wants to bring the opinions of migrants to the city council and that more resources should be put in integration schemes. The right to equal education of children and youths should be guaranteed.

 

One of Alam’s harassers. He tells him to f**k off and go back to his own country and teach his own kind.

Fake profiles, sickening comments abound on Facebook against people who exercise their civil rights.

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YouTube Perussuomalaiset candidate: We don’t want asylum seekers in Finland – leave

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This interview by an Iraqi asylum seeker of Tampere Perussuomalaiset (PS)* municipal election candidate, Elisa Hiltunen, reveals candidly why many migrants see the PS as a hostile party that is set on placing obstacles on migrants’, especially asylum seekers’ lives. The PS candidate reveals as well the extreme egoism and her outright ignorance of our laws and international commitments. 

But that’s “ok.” She’s a member of the PS.

* The official translation to Finnish of the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party is the Finns Party. In our opinion, it is not only a horrible translation, but one that is misguided. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Such terms like the Finns Party of True Finns promote as well in our opinion nativist nationalism and xenophobia. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and thereafter the acronym PS.

Foreigner, jobless and excluded from the job market despite fluency in Finnish language

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How well must I speak Finnish in order to land a job? That question, even if it hounds many of us, is a very topical question that leads us to other ones that expose the culprit of discrimination. Like most matters in Finland that deal with discrimination and racism, the burden of proof falls on the victim. 

Few will disagree that we need a more radical proactive about-turn by the authorities requiring them to monitor and challenge discrimination and racism in all public spaces.

It’s clear that if we wait for politicians in this country, never mind the government of Prime Minister Juha Sipilä to improve matters on this front, we’ll be waiting for centuries long after we have turned into dust.

www.mol.fi is one site were lots of people search for attainable or unattainable opportunities.

But we don’t have centuries to wait or the patience. We want the government and the public servants of Finland to take a more active role in combating all forms of discrimination and racism in this country.

Migrant Tales receives emails regularly from its readers. The one below tells us about a recurring problem that people with high education face in this country: getting a job and unemployment.

As everyone knows, your chances of landing a job hinges in Finland depends as well on your national and ethnic background.

The person below writes in an email:   “I want to point out the fact that the language barrier and the economy have nothing to do why foreigners are not able to get a job. Foreigners should not ever blame themselves. I am fluent in Finnish. I’m a living example that doesn’t matter how highly skilled you are in Finnish language or educated, the companies don’t give a flying fuck even you have Harvard degree.” 

He continues in another email:

“I’m a 35-years old foreigner and I speak fluent Finnish and who has been living most of his life in Finland. I have BBA degree and still I haven’t got a permanent job in Finland. Last time I sent a CV to a company in Helsinki who was looking to hire a “sales assistant”. I sent the CV at 2 clock on a morning and later on that morning I got response 9 clock stating that they had “already” found a person for the position. Still even today this same company has their application in mol.fi and the expiration date was March 24.

This is just a tip of the iceberg of what I have been dealing with for decades and getting a job in Finland. And it has nothing to do with the “language barrier.” Finnish companies claim that they are not able to hire foreigners because the language barrier or lack of experience. This is not true because companies simply only hire FINNS and foreigners don’t get anything more than the crumbs on the table. I have sent an estimated over 200 CVs and I have never got a single interview in my lifetime. This xenophobia problem isn’t just in Finland but it’s all over Scandinavia and which foreigners just have to “deal” with. If Finland is suppose to be a country that promotes “equality” even for foreigners than why do European and companies from other countries treat Finns better and give them a job while foreigners don’t get anything in Finland?

If language is really the problem why companies don’t hire foreigners then how do they tell me that I don’t have a job because I don’t speak perfect Finnish?”

The cheap journalism of Helsingin Uutiset and its editor’s long roots in the anti-immigration movement of Finland

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Two of the worst complimentary publications in the Helsinki and Greater Helsinki area Helsingin Uutiset and Vantaan Sanomat. Since they don’t charge people to read their publications they depend heavily on advertising revenues. The way that they get such revenues and readers is by spreading xenophobia and suspicion of migrants and minorities. 

The latest example is of a story by Helsingin Uutuset that claims that sexual crimes have soared to dizzying heights.

Read the full story here.

The story has a lot of holes. For one, it takes a jab below the belt and claims that somehow the large number of asylum seekers have something to do with this issue. For example, the story doesn’t clarify – but suggests instead – that it’s the fault of asylum seekers without mentioning how many tourists and non-asylum seekers it’s talking about.

It doesn’t even tell us if the cases that it cites are suspected and convicted rape cases.

We don’t know and we’re not supposed to know. Even so, Helsingin Uutiset’s shoddy reporting is no surprise since this is the way the publication spreads falsehoods and racism about migrants while attracting advertisers.

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