You would think that Finland, which claims to have one of the world’s best education systems, knows how to deal with racism and bullying. If we look at the last decade and the rise of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, it appears that Finland has failed miserably in the task.
The PS is today the second biggest party in parliament and the biggest opposition party. One of their favorite political pastimes is to spread racist statements about migrants.
We can agree that racism is a viler form of bullying than found in school.
Certain ways to fail at tackling bullying at school is by ignoring it and allowing it to continue unchecked.
Racism spewed by PS and other politicians can shed its poisonous roots if we do not change the toxic soil (prejudice) from which racism feeds and grows.
Green League minister of the interior, Maria Ohisalo, showed us leadership on this front on how we can change that soil.
“Moreover, the Perussuomalaiset’s logic is racist,” she tweeted, “it is harmful to low-income migrants as to native Finns. To those people in a difficult [socio-economic] situation who need help the most.”
Finland needs more leadership examples against racism unless we do not want our country to turn into Hungary, Poland, or the Trump-led United States.
