Tag: visible minorities

Anti-immigration sentiment in Finland hinges in great part on the PS

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Enrique Tessieri

The atmosphere for some immigrants in Finland has been an ever-worsening slippery slope. First the historic victory of the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party last year and then the near-constant racist gaffes and foot-in-the-mouth shows.  

If you want to know what the PS stands on certain issues you have to watch for the but… in their sound bites. We are against racism but… We are against ethnic profiling but… We are for immigration but… We are for gender equality but…

It’s pretty clear that as long as an anti-immigration party like the PS remains the third-largest in parliament, matters will continue to worsen before they improve.

The PS are not only a threat to immigrants and visible minorities in this country, they are a tragedy for Finland. No matter from which angle at the situation, building a country on the populist ideology of the PS, which hinges on hatred, suspicion, racism and prejudice of other groups can never bring any type of prosperity to our country.

A story published by YLE Wednesday reinforced some disturbing news we already knew about immigrant youths. It states that immigrant youths have a five-time higher chance of being marginalized than Finnish- and Swedish-speakers.

It’s fair to say that the ongoing anti-immigration climate in Finland, thanks in part to the PS and to the economic situation, nothing far-reaching will be done to correct this situation.

The matter that causes youths and adults to be marginalized from society is a complex issue. Even so, the main culprit lies in between our ears.

Too many politicians, policy-makers, the public and even immigrants are content with the present untenable status quo. We agree on one matter and that is not to rock the boat.

It’s wishful thinking as well to believe that the integration and acceptance of immigrants and visible minorities in Finland will be easily solved by offering more Finnish-language course. It is a long process that will take generations and a lot of work from both sides. There are no easy fixes.

The role of mutual acceptance and respect are crucial if we aim to build a healthy and dynamic society in this century. At this moment there is too little of those important qualities.

The only way for Finland to shake off the present political nightmare and blow away those adverse anti-immigration winds blowing over our society is at the ballot box.

Fortunately time flies.

 

More Finns oppose anti-immigration groups and racism than before

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Enrique Tessieri

Matters have changed for the better with respect to the ongoing debate on immigrants, immigration to Finland and our ever-growing cultural diversity, reports Turun Sanomat, quoting researcher Suvi Keskinen of Turku University. She warns, however, that making strong distinctions between “us Finns” and “them immigrants” can have dire consequences for the person and society. 

Keskinen says that more people than before are speaking out against anti-immigration groups and racism in Finland.

She said that even if the language used to debate immigration in Denmark has been bolder than in Finland, matters are improving there after the anti-immigration Danish People’s Party did poorly in the election.

What Keskinen says is highly revealing. If the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party wouldn’t have won their historic election victory last April, probably debate in Finland wouldn’t be so aggressive and negative towards immigrants and visible minorities.

Migrant Tales is a good example of a blog that has grown rapidly and brought out the fighting spirit of some immigrants and Finns against anti-immigration groups like the PS.

This was not the case before, when certain members of the PS could practically say whatever they pleased and point the accusing finger at any group they wanted amid the near-complacency and silence of the media, politicians and general public.

Another matter that has encouraged people to be more outspoken against anti-immigration groups are the constant gaffes and scandals that have rocked the PS.

Where there is a strong reaction there is certainly a strong counter-reaction.

The Eronen “armband” scandal reveals healthy accountability by the media

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Enrique Tessieri

The Helena Eronen scandal exposes an important watershed in Finland. It is a similar turning point as we saw on July 22 with the mass killings in Norway by Anders Breivik and in February, when Tommi Rautio suggested decoarating a white Finn for killing a Muslim in in cold blood in Oulu. The latest scandal reveals something equally important: accountability.  

Back in the so-called good old days before last year’s election, politicians could say just about anything they pleased against immigrants and visible minorities without being held accountable. Times have changed since then and the Eronen scandal is a case in point.

What would happen if Perussuomalaiset (PS) MP Jussi Halla-aho published today a fraction of the quotes he made last decade? What would happen if Eronen published her infamous column on sleeve emblems in 2006 or 2008? Would she experience anything close to the criticism she is getting today? Probably not.

The magic word is accountability. Politicians, and especially those who gained prominence with their racist and Nazi-spirited language before last year’s election are now being held accountable for what they write by the media, some politicians and the general public. This is good news for Finland.

Accountability can do wonders. An association like Kansainvälinen Mikkeli sent an email to all those candidates before last year’s election who were strongly in favor of cutting back funds to immigrant associations and tightening immigration policy. You’d be surprised by how apologetic some were when they answered back.

It shows that if we ask questions and let politicians know that we are watching, listening and ready to act they will think twice what they say in public.

The media can play an important role. Leadership was shown by Turun Sanomat last week, when it picked up Eronen story on Uusi Suomi. The Turku-based daily merely did its job by asking her a question and, most importantly, held her accountable for what she wrote.

It’s still unclear whether Eronen will be able to keep her job as PS MP James Hirvisaari’s aide. In the meanwhile the scandal will continue to grow.

Turun Sanomat reports that apart from Sweden, Russia and former IVY countries, the column that suggested sleeve markings for different national groups has now spread to Holland, Iceland, Italy, Poland and Romania. To add more fuel to the fire, Johan Bäckman asked the police to investigate whether Eronen’s column is guilty of inciting ethnic hatred, according to Turun Sanomat.  

Nipping fascism, Nazi-spirited and far-right ideology in the bud in Finland

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Enrique Tessieri

After most of the Finnish media was taken for a long and extensive ride by the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party, Migrant Tales  has warned on numerous occasions about the threat the party poses is not only to immigrants, visible minorities and Finns with international backgrounds, but to our whole society. The Helena Eronen scandal, when she wrote about sleeve emblems, is another case in point. 

Tuomas Muraja, Turun Sanomat’s foreign editor, the daily that published the story on Eronen’s column, says outright that history will see PS chairman Timo Soini as the man who brought the “aggressive far-right” to parliament.

The whole scandal reveals a lot about what Eronen thinks about our democratic institutions and institutions like the media.  After the attraction that her blog entry caused in Finland and abroad, Eronen is now planning to sue Turun Sanomat for defamation.

Her writing about sleeve emblems and her boss, PS MP James Hirvisaari, who was fined by a court for hate speech in December, say a lot about Eronen. She used to advertise openly on her Uusi Suomi blog profile belonging to the anti-immigration Muutos2011 party.

Another factor that sheds more light on her far-right anti-immigration ideology is that she visited Auschwitz in 2007 and knew where people were some exterminated during the Holocaust. Here more on the topic by Ossi Mäntylahti.

Jews were forced by the Nazis in Germany and occupied Europe to wear a yellow Star of David. This is satire, right?

As if missing totally the point, Eronen blames the Turku-based daily for the bad press she attracted. She conveniently forgets that it was what she wrote that was unacceptable, especially coming from a parliamentary aide.

Those who visit our blog regularly have noted by now that every month  there is a scandal coming from the PS. The lion’s share of the scandals hinge on racism, homophobia, offering medals to cold-blooded killers, as well as an eerie fascination for fascism, Nazi-spirited and far-right ideology.

Muraja correctly states that the whole Eronen scandal and what she wrote wasn’t satire at all but exposed far-right or Nazi-spirited ideology with humor or as a joke. Spreading fascist, Nazi-spirited and racist jokes are nothing new by these groups. Such writings are primarily meant for their followers even if they are published online.

Another important aim of this type of questionable satire and jokes by groups like Suomen Sisu is to move the goalposts in order to make racism, and the ideology that supports it, “normal” to common voters.

Will they succeed depends on our reaction and how deeply we want to bury our heads in the sand.  The only reason why there are far-right MPs in parliament is because we have given them a mandate. It is now our job to take it away from them.

How? The answer lies in our democratic institutions and most importantly in our values: independent media, vigilant public, and leadership.

In many respects what happened in April 2011 is due to many factors: the financial scandals that rocked the Center Party, the EU financial crisis and the bailout of Portugal a week before the election, but most importantly traditional parties lacking courage and leadership to challenge the PS.

Migrant Tales writes shortly after the election:  “Another factor that spurred the PS to new heights was a watershed statement in March 2010 by Kokoomus chairman Jyrki Katainen, who stated that being critical and debating immigrant issues in this country didn’t make you a racist. After that green light to racism was given, the Social Democratic leadership gave the PS another pat on the back with their infamous saying, maassa maan tavalla.”

Even if we respect the election result we can passionately express our opposition to the political agenda of a party like the PS.

Unless we want to turn Finland into a country where fascism, far-right and Nazi-spirited ideology have a clear mandate, our media, politicians and the general public will have to do much better.

Finnish police accused of ethnic profiling

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Enrique Tessieri

A day after the police released a Somali who was under police custody for about seven months, the Ombudsman for Minorities expressed concern about ethnic profiling by the police, according to YLE. 

Rainer Hiltunen, the Minority Ombudsman’s head of office, said that he receives calls from foreigners who say they have been repeatedly questioned in the street by police. Some of those stopped are naturalized Finns and visible minorities.

The police deny any wrongdoing.

“If a person is stopped, they’re told why,” said Helsinki police inspector Jari Taponen, who denied hearing of any cases where people were not told why they were questioned by the police.

Helena Eronen, Perussuomalaiset (PS) MP James Hirvisaari’s new aide, suggested in a column today that a good way to help the police to distinguish immigrants from Finns would be to oblige people to wear sleeve badges.

This kind of “satire” coming especially from a Hirvisaari aide is in pretty bad taste.

Hirvisaari was fined for hate speech in December.

I remember being stopped a long time ago by the Finnish police on the freeway from Porvoo to Helsinki. We were three “foreign-looking” men inside a Skoda driving home when Czechoslovakian President Vaclav Pavel visited Finland in 1991.

One of the questions that surprised me by the policeman when we were pulled over was if I was a Finnish citizen. I refused to answer the policeman’s question because I thought it had nothing to do with whatever I was being stopped.

After a semi-long tug-of-war with the policeman, I told him that I was a Finnish citizen. He then told me that I had been pulled over because one of my headlamps was out.

If that was the reason why he stopped me, what did that have to do with me being a Finnish citizen or not?

Thank you Oulu for demonstrating and standing up for your rights!

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Enrique Tessieri

Migrant Tales would like to thank all those people who marched in Oulu and Helsinki on Friday against the violence that gripped Oulu last weekend and give simultaneously the thumbs down to the chicanery of others, like Perussuomalaiset (PS) MP from Oulu Olli Immonen, who has warned us about a “culture war” between white Europe and Islam. Is this the first chapter of that “war” that  Immonen suggests? 

The march in Oulu was organized by the Islamic Society of Northern Finland, surprisingly YLE in English forgot to mention the organizers. The Helsinki march was organized by William Bol and Kadar Kelle.

Here is a video clip on Ilta-Sanomat  about the March in Oulu.

YLE in English writes: “Demonstrators called on Oulu decision makers and police to promote tolerance in the community. They also want officials to step up efforts to make the city more secure for immigrants as well as the native Finnish population. This latest racially-flavoured incident has been a pause for reflection for inhabitants, as it was preceded by two other violent acts involving foreigners.”

Even if too many Finnish politicians still prefer to cringe in the face of racism or deny its existence completely like the PS, immigrants, Finns and visible minorities in Finland have no choice but to demand their right to live without fear and harassment.

It's hard for some to see racism when you are a white Finn

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Enrique Tessieri

What does Finnish white privilege mean? Does it mean controlling almost all political, economic and social power in Finland? How do we address the issue?

One matter is certain: immigrants and visible minorities in Finland will never be able to challenge such a social ill by themselves. White Finns, Finns with international backgrounds, minorities and immigrants must unite and challenge racism and exclusion that threaten our society more than ever today.

Racism Review writes about such a campaign launched in the United States: “The focus of the campaign is very clearly on white people and this makes sense given the demographics of the region where the campaign is posting billboards.  The Twin Ports (Duluth, MN and Superior, WI) is a predominantly white community (89%).”

Sounds like a place in Finland.

“When race becomes a problem for anybody that is in our community it’s out problem,” says Don Nass, Twin Ports mayor. “We have a role in addressing it.”

Martin Éric asked about the Russian community in Finland, which faces a lot of discrimination in this country. A good point. We have visible and invisible minorities that face prejudice in this country.

Should we start a similar campaign in Finland to address this social ill that has for too long roamed near-freely in our society?

Could we start with a poster as the one above and publish it everywhere possible? Not interested?

If you still are uncertain about launching such a campaign, we must try harder and come up with a better campaign idea that will awaken and mobilize people to act.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=S6YPmqyOHrY#!]

The message of the campaign is simple: We are against racism in Finland. Integration through acceptance, respect and equal opportunities will not only strengthen our society but cost less to tax payers.

A good immigration integration policy for Finland and Europe

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Enrique Tessieri

One of the biggest challenges to Finland’s new integration program is how effectively it promotes what it sets out to do.  How passionate are we Finns about ethnic and minority equality in this country if the most important piece of the puzzle is still missing: the big picture  and place new Finns and their children have in our society. 

Migrant Tales believes that integration programs like the Perussuomalaiset’s (PS) Nuiva Manifesto would do more harm than good: It would create ghettos and punish people socially who are visible minorities. Moreover, the PS’ manifesto is more of a political statement that exposes the ignorance of its supporters.

Reading many of the thousands of comments on Migrant Tales, it is evident that some Finns and Europeans still believe that one-way integration is the only way to promote the integration of immigrants and minorities.

One of the first important steps that an integration program should take is change the anti-immigrant culture and language prevalent in a society. The term tolerance, or suvaitsevainen, is widely used in Finland but even more-effective terms that officials, politicians and the general public could begin using are mutual acceptance and respect.

Like any good government program, it must be one that is effective. But what does Finland’s integration program aim at accomplishing? Is it facilitating and speeding the integration of immigrants into our society or promoting the opposite due to lack of resources?

Jonathan Lawrence writes on the New York Times her views about how Muslims should be integrated in Europe. Her views are very much what Migrant Tales has been promoting on numerous blog entries.

She writes: “Granting Muslims full religious freedom wouldn’t remove obstacles to political participation or create jobs. But it would at least allow tensions over Muslims’ religious practices to fade. This would avoid needless sectarian strife and clear the way for politicians to address the more vexing and urgent challenges of socioeconomic integration.”

Thus one of the biggest obstacles to the integration, or adaption, of groups like Muslims and others in Europe has been our unrealistic and ethnocentric expectations of how other cultures should adapt to us.

Certainly we can promote as much ethnocentrism as we wish in our society, but the big question is what impact will it have: Will it integrate or exclude?

One of the most important matters to keep in mind when speaking about integration policies is that acceptance and respect must be a two-way process. This means that since we live in a culturally diverse society, it is important that everyone accepts and respects each other.

There is nothing new about this type of behavior. It is how we should treat people in our culture.

If we have the right, and have fought for greater acceptance of minorities like gays and women’s rights, why would we want to undermine the rights of other groups? The fact that we can make lifestyle choices in our society is what makes our society so great.

Another fallacy of the anti-immigration groups is that they believe that people don’t change. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Cultures change constantly because they are highly adaptable.  Free will ensures that we can never be ruled like robots.

The "Winter War" that visible minorities face in Finland

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Enrique Tessieri

Even if we speak proudly about the heroism of the men and women who fought against a formidable foe in the Winter (1939-40) and questionable Continuation War (1941-44), many Finns with culturally diverse backgrounds are facing today a different yet similar kind of war on a daily basis. One of these “veterans” is fourteen-year-old Rebecka Holm, who published her moving story on Swedish-language daily HBL.

If Migrant Tales could, it would offer an award highlighting the adolescent’s bravery to speak out against racism. She doesn’t speak out for herself but for many others who are the silent daily victims of such harassment.

The racist bullying that Holm has faced publicly is a shameful realty and unacceptable. It still happens too often because too many of us approve this type of anti-social behavior willingly or unwillingly with our silence.

In many respects those that go around insulting Finns who are visible minorities and immigrants are no worse than autocratic governments that trample on people’s rights. They carry out their abuse and hostility because they  can do it with impunity.

Holm writes: “I did not want to change schools [in Helsinki] when I started third grade we moved [to another neighborhood]…It was then [on the Helsinki metro to the Herttoniemi Station] that the racist comments and attacks began. I could sit quietly in the metro when some stranger would tell me that I should go back to where I came from. After that, I have been called many things, including mutanaama (mud face), n-word, monkey. And the worst thing of all has always been the silence of the adult passengers when I was verbally attacked.”

Like the costly wars that our country fought in World War 2, many visible minorities are veterans of a very different yet similarly sinister war.

Like these wars it was all about survival but most importantly for acceptance and respect.