According to the researcher, Denmark does not have any outside enemies and in order to bolster their national identity, some Danes have found that new “enemy” in immigrants and refugees.
In Finland the situation is different since we have a defined enemy. “Thank God we have such an enemy in Finland,” he said. “There is a mutual agreement (among Finns) that Russkies are Russkies full stop. We don’t have the same problem as Denmark since there is a foreign other. Our identity as Finns is clear since we know what does not and what does presumably threaten us.”
Joenniemi believes that the anti-immigrant sentiment will get worse in Finland before it improves. “In order to understand what is happening and to get ready for what awaits, it would be important to get acquainted with (what is happening) Denmark,” he said.
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Jarkko Mänttäri