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The Finn end of the wedge
Published: 21 December, 2009, 09:13
Edited: 07 April, 2010, 15:50
TAGS: EU, Europe, Human rights
One of the highest rates of immigrants in Europe is drawing fears from Finns. Some are concerned that immigrants, attracted by Finland's generous welfare packages and high living standards, will overrun their country.
Now, areas with immigrants’ shops and housing dominating them can be found in Helsinki as easily as in any other European city. Twenty years ago, such places simply did not exist. And last year, Finland had the highest level of immigration since World War II.
The number of foreigners in the country has risen sixfold since 1990. Although they still constitute only 3 percent of the population, that growth rate is one of the highest in the world.
Finnish opposition politician Jussi Halla-aho is an anti-immigration blogger. His blog has attracted hundreds of thousands of followers. Halla-aho was sued for defamation in a high-profile freedom of speech trial, and his views are ignored by mainstream parties.
“We are faithfully repeating every mistake Sweden, for example, has made before us,” Halla-aho says. “Most Finnish cities will be surrounded by a ring of burning ghettoes.”
While other European countries have tightened up conditions for asylum seekers, Finland still offers them a very good welfare package. But polls show that the population is finding the newcomers hard to accept.
 Image from tundratabloid.blogspot.com |
“We are doing a good job, but we are always like ‘the enemy’ whatever happens,” Koskipirtti told RT.
Those who come to Finland seeking asylum are initially housed in specially-equipped facilities. They can go outside to look for work and housing, but most speak no Finnish, and cannot find a job.
A couple from Togo arrived in Finland with their daughter several weeks ago. Whether or not the authorities believe their story will determine whether they will be allowed to remain here.
The woman, whose family is currently based in Metsälä Reception Centre, says that her husband was imprisoned in Togo for his political views.
“He escaped, and God knows how we came here,” she adds. “We are happy with the conditions in Finland, and we want to stay.”
Regardless of whether the asylum application will be successful or not, they are likely to face a life of relative poverty – and the attitudes of a country that has seen the face of mass migration and appears to be turning against it.
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3 comments
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Kihnu wrote in#3
The Finns wanted a multiracial society like Sweden - now they have it.
2/2
To be exact, the movement is against our recent immigration policies,
not against immigrants per se. Our politics have basically lied to us
(= they have told only the positive effects of the immigration, like how
some succesfull entrepreneur moved to Finland a 100 years ago and gave
job to many Finns) and they haven't told how expensive it is, about the
very high crime rates and so on. You wouldn't believe if I would tell
you the amount of immigration propaganda (propaganda cheering for
immigration) we have here in Finland in our leading newspapers.
Basically we have a free press, but this immigration issue reminds us
about the issue of how our media was handling the USSR in Finland in
1970's; one official thruth created by the leading politics. Never ever
questionized..
I have friends besides here in Finland also
for example in Russia, Germany and Czech. Some of them are catholic,
some are orthodox, some are muslims (Tatar) and I am a protestant.
Despite of our different backgrounds, we share common values about how a
society should work. Therefore immigration between these countries
should not be a problem (and it's not a problem, I think in general we
have no negative experiences about this king of work/family-related
immigration between two quite similar countries). And I have been and
immigrant by myself, so I have some experience about this subject.
In Russia you know the saying "When in Rome, do as the Romans do"
Regards,
OlliKihnu wrote in #3
The Finns wanted a multiracial society like Sweden – now they have it.
1/2
We did not want a multicultural society, at least nobody never ever asked from me. Our immigration policies went never through a normal democratic prosess. Immigration policies were made by bureaucrats only.
In general I would like to say that this "anti-immigrant movement" in Finland is not against all immigrants. It against those immigrants which causes harm to our country. Very often muslims from Middle-East and Africa are considered as immigrants which causes harm and troubles in receiving European countries (see examples from Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Germany, France, UK…. you got the point. In Russia you have your own problematic illegal immigrants from ex-Soviet muslim countries, so you know the problem).
It is not against an immigrant who comes to work in Finland, obeys our laws and respects our culture and way of life.
Only benefitters which comes to my mind are the possessers of the great capital. And I don't mean some relatively wealthy people, I mean that 1% which possesses the 80% of the wealth. Those people which really benefits from new infrastructure building (like public housing projects for unemployed African camel drivers), increased consumption, increased demand of social services like health care services. Basically any sector where a private sector is producing (or would like to produce) the services financed by a public sector.
It is a short road, but for a period of 10-20 years it is very profitable for some agents in the markets.