How can the government be so worried about “national security” if you are ready to trash our most sacred rights like Human Rights, the Constitution, and international agreements?
The Draft Act on Temporary Measures to Combat Instrumentalised Migration, or the so-called pushback law, is not only concerning how the constitutional committee can sidestep our most sacred values as a society based on Human Rights, the Constitution, and international agreements but how politicians who should know better are demanding such changes.
It’s clear that the pushback law is not only a move to undermine our rights, but will lead to other changes by using the pretext of “national security.”
I lived in Argentina during one of its most violent military régimes. The way the military could throw Human Rights and the rule of law in the trash can was “defending national security.” To do this they committed atrocities that led to the disappearance of over 30,000 people.
After they got rid of their enemies, the left-wing guerrillas, they looked for “potential” terrorists. You read right. People who could become terrorists.
Finland’s shameful politicians of the pushback law are President Alexander Stubb, National Coalition Party (NCP) Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, Constituional Committee Chairperson Heikki Vestman, Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Interior Minister Mari Rantanen, Finance Minister Riikka Purra, Aministrative Committee Chairperson Mauri Peltokangas, and Justice Minister Leena Meri.
The above list is NOT conclusive. We can name many PS, NCP, and Center Party politicians who would fit the bill. One of these is former President Sauli Niinistö, who has had an ambiguously hostile view of asylum seekers and Russian dual citizens.
Upper left to right: President Alexander Stubb, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, Constitutional Committee Chairperson Heikki Vestman (lower row left to right) Interior Minister Mari Rantanen, Finance Minister Riikka Purra, Administrative Committee Chairperson Mauri Peltokangas, and Justice Minister Leena Meri.
What anti-Human Rights “merits” do the following politicians have?
- Alexander Stubb: After being elected president, Stubb has shown how little he regards Human Rights, the Constitution, international agreements, and minority rights. Apart from holding such values as suspect whenever it is convenient politically, his support of the pushback law can also be seen as payback to Petteri Orpo, who supported him as the NCP’s presidential candidate. His statements are political and lack the credibility of a statesman. One of these was to MTV, when he mentioned that the asylum seekers at the border are not “real” refugees.
Erna Bodstöm tweets: “In recent years, according to Migri, Yemenis and Syrians have practically always been granted asylum, and Iraqis and Ethiopians in at least half of the cases. So these people are genuine asylum seekers and many are likely to be eligible for protection.”
- Petteri Orpo: As prime minister, Orpo is the enabler of the PS’s anti-immigration policy, which includes denying Human Rights to asylum seekers. His greatest talent is not seeing the elephant in the room because he is blinded by the government’s “good” program.
- Heikki Vestman: In a recent interview with Helsingin Sanomat, Emeritus Professor Kaarlo Tuori said that the actions of the constitutional committee under Vestman have put Finland on the same path as Poland and Hungary in scrapping the rule of law. In both countries, the breakdown began precisely with the erosion of constitutional checks and balances, which we are now seeing, according to Tuori.
- Mari Rantanen and Riikka Purra: Rantanen can disguise her ignorance poorly with her anti-immigration statements. Just like her fellow minister, Riikka Purra, much of the secrecy and anti-immigration policies of the government have to do with stopping asylum seekers from Muslim and African countries. Both, like many PS politicians, spread far-right conspiracy theories like the Great Replacement.
- Mauri Peltoniemi: Is the chairperson of the administrative committee, which also overlooks migration issues. He is a member of the far-right Suomen Sisu association and has called government ministers “assholes” and asylum seekers “parasites.” Speaking in a bombastic style like Mussolini, Peltokangas has toned down his statements. But don’t be fooled, he is the same xenophobic politician of the past.
- Leena Meri: In 2019, the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) recommended in its fifth report on Finland twenty points to tackle hate crime, racism, and intolerance. Since ECRI’s recommendations are in conflict with the PS’ Criminal Policy Program 2022, which states that the penal code concerning ethnic agitation must be changed to ensure free speech and the possibility to criticize Islam, Meri dismantled two ministerial committees in February that were supposed to reform the penal code concerning hate-speech laws and strengthen the independence of the judiciary.
Source: Medium
