Seeking asylum and/or a better life is not a crime.
What is one to think of plans by the new government to use electronic ankle tags to monitor the movements of asylum seekers whose asylum application is rejected. Is it ok?
How would you like to wear an electronic ankle tag? Would it enhance your feeling of human worth or be just another example of Finland’s ever-worsening hostile environment against migrants and minorities?
Moreover, the use of ankle tags by asylum seekers reveals a fact about how Finland sees asylum seekers, especially those who are Muslim. It shows the authorities do not believe asylum seekers’ suffering and plight.
If one thinks that the hostile environment in Finland began in 2015, you should think twice. The hostile environment is an integral part of this country’s history throughout its independence.
Disagree?
How come it took almost 66 years after independence, in 1983, for Finland to have in force its first immigration law?
Things were much worse. So much so, in fact, that few people ever moved to this country.