One clear aspect of Finland’s heated debate about racism is how politicians, especially from the Perussuoomalaiset (PS) party, claim ignorance about what racism is. PS MP Joakim Vigelius went as far as to claim that the term “racism” has suffered from inflation. I wonder if victims of racism and microaggression feel the same way. As…
Tag: xenophobia
PM Petteri Opro: “There is nothing racist or discriminatory in the government program”
And that is not all that Orpo said in Helsingin Sanomat: “We are doing everything in our power to eradicate racism and discrimination,” he continued, “We are doing more [on this front] than any government before us.” In light of the scandals that have rocked Orpo’s government from the start, there appear to be an…
Finland is a country that has lost its way and where democracy is now under threat
There are a number of worrying signs that Finland’s democracy and social welfare state are under threat. The threat does not come from abroad but from inside Finland thanks to the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* and National Coalition Party (Kokoomus). Apart from disenfranchising migrants with strict laws that will make life harder for the country’s most vulnerable…
Let’s test your level of naivety: Is Finland finally awakening to its “r” problem?
It would be wrong to just blame the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* for Finland’s racism problem. The rise of the PS after the 2011 election would not have been possible without the direct and indirect support of other political parties, the media, and the public. When results of the 2011 election started to appear on television screens,…
Weak leadership and denial of your coalition partner’s far-right and racist history are a recipe for disaster
Thanks to the leadership of Prime Minister Petteri Orban, Finland’s international image has suffered a devastating blow. In a matter of over two weeks, the country’s reputation has swung from having a forward-looking and charismatic prime minister like Sanna Marin to one that denies and wants to do business with a radical-right party. The government…
Neo-Nazi and racist sympathies will help you go far in Finnish politics
Finland’s most right-wing government since the 1930s was hit by controversy on its first day Tuesday due to its links with neo-Nazis, the far-right, and unapologetic racist blog posts. One of the epicenters of the scandal is Minister of Economic Affairs Vilhelm Junnila, whose neo-Nazi and white supremacist sympathies are readily seen through a trail…
The problematic far right, racism, misogyny, homophobia and rape delusions of the new Finnish government
The government fuels two matters: loss of credibility and polarization of society. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government, considered the most right wing since the 1930s, faced a storm of controversy on its first day not because of its austerity program, which will hit the most vulnerable sectors of society, but because of its embarrassing links…
The rise and eventual death of radical-right parties in the Nordic Region
Denmark is a good example of how radical-right parties like the Danish People’s Party (DPP) grow and eventually die off. In the 2022 election, the DPP saw its support plummet to an all-time low of 2.63%, losing 11 MPs to end up with a total of 5 MPs. In the 2015 election, the DPP had…
Government talks in Finland: to turn back the hands of time or not
Watching the ongoing government negotiations to give birth to Finland’s most right-wing and anti-immigration government can raise one’s blood pressure. The sticky issue National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) prime minister-designate, Petteri Orpo, hopes to resolve the sticky issue of migration and environmental policy. In the face of a chronic labor shortage due to Finland’s graying population,…
Riikka Purra threatens to walk out of government talks: The PS will not participate if migration policy isn’t tightened significantly
Watching the ongoing negotiations between the National Coalition Party, Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, Swedish People’s Party, and Christian Democrats to form Finland’s most right-wing and anti-immigration government is concerning. For one, PS head Riikka Purra’s usual vitriolic anti-immigration rhetoric reminds me of a Brexit minime bully. Purra warned on Thursday that without “migration policy tightened significantly,” they…