In the last four years since the 2011 parliamentary elections, Nasima Razmyar, 30, has developed tremendously as a politician to become the voice and hope of Finland’s ever-growing culturally diverse society.
Tag: Social Democratic Party
Sune Kymäläinen: How some politicians try to capitalize on anti-Russian sentiment in Finland
MPs throughout Europe are opportunistically using the xenophobia card to boost their chances of getting reelected. This is the case of Suna Kymäläinen, a Social Democrat (SDP), who is eyeing the April 2015 parliamentary elections in Finland. Read full story (in Finnish) here. Kymäläinen is a sad example of how politicians who don’t belong to anti-immigration…
Passage of draft bill to prohibit real estate purchases by non-EU citizens would expose Finland’s xenophobia of Russians
Politicians that fuel nationalism and intolerance forget to tell you one important fact: They carry a high price tag in the form of lower economic growth and less jobs. If passed, a draft bill spearheaded by Social Democrat (SDP) MP Suna Kymäläinen would not only hit businesses in eastern Finland that depend on Russian tourists,…
Mixed reactions to Hakkarainen’s racist blog entry that victimizes immigrants and Muslims
Perussuomalaiset (PS) MP Teuvo Hakkarainen’s recent blog entry, which attacked immigrants and Muslims, has been condemned by the vice president of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Eero Vainio, and by Muslims like Abdirahim Husu Hussein of the Center Party. Reaction to what Hakkarainen wrote is a positive sign that part of Finland’s political establishment considers…
Calling Timo Soini’s bluff
The Perussuomalaiset (PS) is a desperate party and Timo Soini’s claim over the weekend, that the Social Democrats had abandoned working-class men, is another example of how this populist anti-immigration party bluffs at the political poker table. The type of attack by Soini on the Social Democratic Party is in line with how the party…
Our response to intolerance in the EU and Finland must be first and foremost a response
Every great journey challenge begins with a single step. A Chinese proverb slightly changed A study by the European Network Against Racism (ENAR), reveals how racism and intolerant attitudes are becoming more prevalent in the European Union. What to do? Read ENAR study here. A recent example of how racism and intolerance spread roots in…
Racism is alive and well in the PS as well as in other parties
Husein Mohammed raised an important point on a recent blog entry where he reviewed Umayya Abu-Hanna’s latest book, Multikulti. He asks if the Perussuomalaiset (PS) is the only intolerant party in Finland. He writes: “The term racism is used quite a lot in [Abu-Hanna’s] book but there’s no mention of violence, visible or about racism in [other Finnish] political…
UPDATE: (Almost) no cliffhangers in today's presidential election in Finland except for one
With all of the votes counted, the presidential election went pretty much as the polls had predicted. Kokoomus’ Sauli Niinistö, the front-runner, won with37.0%. Second place was a head-and-head race, a semi-cliffhanger, with Pekka Haavisto of the Greens (18.8%) beating Paavo Väyrynen of the Center Party (17.5%).
Finland’s ignorance of racism and fascism
One of the political dramas that Finland is suffering today is that it does not know what racism and fascism is. The Finnish media up to the April 17 election not only lost its teeth and forgot the important role it plays in defending our civil rights it helped the right-wing populist Perussuomalaiset (PS).
Nelonen: Lipponen: Äärioikeisto asettunut perussuomalaisiin
Entisen pääministerin Paavo Lipposen mukaan perussuomalaisten äärioikeistolaiset on eristettävä, eikä heille saa antaa tuumaakaan periksi. Paavo Lipposen mukaan nykyiseen eduskuntaan on nyt asettunut äärioikeisto.