The Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party is fuming attempting to get the maximum political mileage from its recent racist and bigoted outbursts by playing down such social ills and by propping up its poor standings in the polls.
Vice-president of the PS parliamentary group, MP Kike Elomaa, stated that we shouldn’t get so touchy about racism, while MP Laura Huhtasaari said that criticism of the party’s racist comments by others should stop and equated them to “childish sandbox games.”
On July 25, National Coalition Party (NCP) MP Ben Zyscowickz reacted to a suggestion by PS MP Teuvo Hakkarainen that Muslims should be kicked out of Finland.
“The question is for how long the Perussuomalaiset party, which is a member of the government and has agreed to oppose racism [while in government], continuously offers the opportunity to political figures who incite people’s views against Islam and who are guilty of outright racism,” he said.
That was followed by the chairman of the Center Party parliamentary group, MP Antti Kaikkonen, who echoed Zyzkowickz’ concern.
The PS shares power in government with the Center Party and NCP.
As far as I can tell, the racist outbursts of the PS are a clear sign that the party is irreversibly dying. It is also the best indication yet that the anti-immigration party has lost, like Don Quixote chasing windmills, to do away with its demons and keep Finland white.
This painting by Pablo Picasso shows Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. The PS’ lost attempt to keep Finland white is as futile as when Don Quixote attacked windmills. Source: Google.
Even if the PS is a party that is in the single-digit minor political leagues, I am concerned for non-white Finns and migrants living in this country. I am worried by the rude face of racism and bigotry in institutions like the police service, where such social ills are hidden by Nordic cordiality and empty assurances.
Culturally diverse Finland, or international Finland that is confident of itself, will prevail out of these dark times, where historians will write about this era as our country’s rendezvous with xenophobia and modern fascism.
Matters will begin to change – and they have today – when voters figure out that racism and bigotry are ineffective solutions and that parties like the PS have no solutions to the country’s challenges.
Even if matters look somber at present, believe me, the future belongs to us.
Read also:
- The Finnish Perussuomalaiset and their poker-face-racist remarks (July 27)
- PS MP Kike Elomaa’s response to the party’s racist statements is disingenuous and insulting to Finland (July 26)
- A belated response to racist comments by a member of the PS is half a response (July 25)
- White Finnish privilege #30: Whitewashing and racializing the news (July 23)
- Terrorism och våld (July 22)
- Five years after 22/7 and the Nordic region continues to bleed hatred (July 22)
- Reija Härkönen: Kuulutko vaikenevaan enemmistöön? (July 21)
- Housing discrimination occurs in Finland and is underreported (July 18)
- The Perussuomalaiset is an extremist party that is unfit to rule Finland (July 17)
- Turning Finland into a post-Brexit United Kingdom mess where xenophobia, privilege and disunity are the rules (July 15)
- Ana María Gutiérrez Soranen: La vida en Europa es, a veces, como un sacrificio (July 14)
- Are bigotry and racism something “funny” and “eccentric” PS chairman Timo Soini? (July 14)
- Perussuomalaiset MP Leena Meri hiding coded bigotted statements as jokes (July 12)
- When will the Finnish police service stop denying that ethnic profiling isn’t an issue? (July 11)
* The Finnish name for the Finns Party is the Perussuomalaiset (PS). The English names of the party adopted by the PS, like True Finns or Finns Party, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and xenophobia. We, therefore, prefer to use the Finnish name of the party on our postings. The direct translation of “Perussuomalaiset” is “basic” or “fundamental Finn.”