In my hometown of Mikkeli, the local Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chapter acted against a municipal election candidate that was too offensive even for their taste. It was the usual hateful nonsense against Muslims, visible migrants, and women. The PS sacked the candidate, Jorma T. Hartikainen, for being too racist only after the local daily, Länsi-Savo, exposed the former candidate’s Facebook postings.
While this was a good move on behalf of the local PS chapter some local candidates of the party boasted that they don’t support racism. “We gave Jorma T. Hartikianen the boot. We are against racism,” a PS candidate said.
If you look at the list of PS candidates in Mikkeli, you will certainly notice Jussi Marttinen, a taxi driver who goes after all foreigners with fake claims that overflow with xenophobia.
In a letter to the Länsi-Savo editor, we asked Marttinen to substantiate one of his many claims about foreigners on the PS’ online candidate page. According to him, foreigners get “notably” more social welfare than white Finns.
The affirmation by Marttinen is a favorite talking point of the PS.
The letter to the editor was published in mid-April and we still haven’t heard a word from Marttinen and the local PS chapter about the false claims he makes.
The Hartikainen and Marttinen cases expose once again the double standards and hypocrisy of the PS. No matter how you look at it, the PS continues to be a party drenched in xenophobia and white nationalism with close ties to far-right groups.
On top of the latter, the party has no credible and workable solutions on important matters like the economy, labor policy, and environmental protection.
The PS is only a party that whines.
