Bravo, Social Democratic Prime Minister Sanna Marin! Bravo, Green League Minister of the Environment Maria Ohisalo! Bravo, Left Alliance Minister of Education and Culture Li Anderson! Bravo for stating in plain Finnish that your parties would not form part of a new government with the radical right Perussuomalaiset (PS).*
When the PS took 39 seats in the 2011 parliamentary elections from 5 seats previously, the country has not been the same. But could you expect from a party that bases its support on racism, nationalism, and fascism.
Academic researchers like Oul Silvenoinen consider the PS a radical-right party with ties to openly hostile and violent groups like Suomen Sisu, Soldiers of Odin, Kansallismielisten liitouma (National Alliance), Sinimusta Liike (Black-and-Blue Movement), the banned neo-Nazi Pohjoismainen vastarintaliike, and others.
If you listen to the PS chairperson, Riikka Purra,
she wants to turn Finland into a Nordic apartheid state where white and naturalized Finns have all the rights. Her latest outburst is to exclude foreigners from getting social welfare.
It’s been 11 years since the 2011 election, and, certainly, the PS believes and wants you to believe it is “a normal” party, which explains why the party appears offended by the SDP, Green League, and Left Alliance not wanting to be in the same government as it.

It is a good matter that some politicians in Finland see the PS for what it is: a threat to our democracy.
Even if the PS hopes time will make the party more acceptable, it is another matter if we allow this to happen.
We must do everything possible to defend our democracy and our Nordic values. We must remain vigilant for the sake of our children and grandchildren.
