(Satirical tweet by comedian Jukka Lindström on the Finnish government's anti-racism statement and the True Finns Party's stance on it, translation in ALT)

yeah I'll reblog the memes for independence day but make no mistake, i unironically believe that finland is a shit country. especially as of late. not even getting to the rise of right-wing politics in the past few years, but just in general as someone who's not white and who's non-binary.

If you're anything else than a white able bodied allo cishet male, this country hates you. White male celebs who routinely sexually harass people constantly on TV, with no punishment in sight for their actions, their victims blamed by the public; one of the highest percentage of people to victim blame victims of sexual harasment.

Forever seen as an intruder if you're not white, whether you were born here or not - and even if you weren't, that doesn't make you an intruder. One of the most racist European countries. Romani and Sami people are treated like shit and it's completely socially acceptable to spout racist bullshit about both of those people. Rampant cultural appropriation, especially to Karelian people, who's culture I constantly see on tumblr too stolen by non-Karelian finns.

Trans healthcare literally one of the most inaccessible in western countries, constantly listed among worst in Europe. Being non-binary instantly lowers your chances to get care. So does being autistic. Years of waiting just to know if you'll be denied or not getting gender affirming care.

I wish I could say that I believe we can be better.

Anyway, happy independence day🇫🇮

Some stuff:

Suomi koetaan yhdeksi rasistisimmista maista (In Finnish)

Study: being black in EU (In English)

Amnesty: Finland's structural racism (In English)

Finland's appropriation of Sami culture (In English)

Study: Finland and appropriation of Karelian culture* (In English)

Karelian activist Häkki Maura on cultural appropriation (In Finnish)

Kehrääjä: abuse in trans healthcare towards kids (In Finnish)

An Instagram account publishing anonymous experiences with trans healthcare (In Finnish)

Study: Intersection of race and transness (In English)

(For the sexual harasment I just urge people to do their own googling on Aku Hirviniemi, Roope Salminen, Sami Hedberg and the subject in general)

This stuff is easily googleable, so do your own research. This is just some stuff to get you started and to remember.

*I haven't read this entire study (yet).

And the same in English:

Kalevala, the “Finnish National Epic” is a gross, racist, colonialist piece of garbage. It was written and compiled by Elias Lönnrot in the 1800s. This is the gross, racist logic he followed:

-Other countries have epics, Finland needs an epic, but all the ‘real’ Finnish culture has already died away because of modernity.

-Oh I know, the Karelian people are less advanced than Finns! Therefore whatever nonsense they believe is what Finns used to believe, and that is our ancient heritage as well!

-I will go on various trips to record songs and poems and stories by Karelians to find the ancient Finnish epic.

-Hmm, all this material I have collected is a little bit all over the place. This is not good enough. I will have to make some changes. And leave some stuff out. And also maybe make some stuff up myself. Maybe entire characters. Yes, I shall do that.

-Yes, the epic is ready! I can publish it for the whole world to see! Now Finland has an epic and we are ready to get this nationalism thing really going! Whoo! We are a real nation because we have real cultural heritage!

-

Fast forward a couple hundred years and Karelians are regularly called both “just Finnish and your language is just a dialect of Finnish” and “slur for Russians.” Finns have never even attempted to repair what they have done to the Karelians and are actively hindering any attempts at Karelian revitalisation.

And there is currently a bid to get the Kalevala on the Unesco list of intangible cultural heritage. I will be mad as hell if that passes.

Like Finland has real cultural heritage. It has national cultural heritage, it has regional cultural heritage, it has minorities with important cultural heritage. There is a lot here.

But apparently Finns want to die on this gross, racist hill instead. -_-

All Culture Is Conservative And Evil By Default. They Come From Discrimination. Creating Rulesets Those They Kick Out Don't Fall Under. All The Time Even This Site Actually This Site Especially Is Obsessed With "Culture" Creating Random Shit And Saying All People With This Specific Label Are From Now Like This... Once Again Showcase Of How All Culture Will Always Be Evil. Culture Fans Always Hurt People Like Us Always Because Their Culture Always Came From Discriminating On Us These Machines Have The Biggest Cruelest Most Abusive Rules As Result... They're Evil And Traumatic... Btw We Ate That Sucked Now I Feel Sick.

Culture Is Nothing But A Capitalist Advertizement This Excactly 100% They Have Abused Us This Is Factual This Is Where All Those "Help" Sucking Pathetic Self Hating Minorities Go. Those That Kick Out Certain People And Say "As A Jfjh We Don't Claim This Person Into Our "Community"!!" This Obsession Of Looking Good For Our Oppressors Has Discriminated So Many People Out Of These "Communities" Which Already Is Built On The Basis Of Looking Good For Our Oppressors And Existing As Separate Therefore When You're Autism & Bpd You Won't Be Accepted In Bpd Community For Having Autism And In Autism Community For Having Bpd Type Of Business. Black Culture Is Nothing But A Super Evil Conservative Arguments These Machines Of Capitalism Use To Discriminate On Us To Gasslight We're Super Bad Things Things That They Are And Believe In As Distraction From This That Will Never Be Shocking Absolutely Every Single One Of Them Was Deeply Bigoted In All The Ways!! This Is What This Does To A Monster They're All Abusers!! Abusers This Is Why They Harm Us!! They're Dangerous!! And They've Kicked Out So Many... Like Our Friend We See And Hear Her She Is Homeless And Anyone That Doesn't Give Her A Home Is Racist And Nobody Has Nobody Cares About Her She Will Have A Home When We Transition Because We Share A Deep Connection We Have Scizophrenia... They Only Bully Her Call Her Slurs Suddenly She's No Longer A Black Person The Same Way They Reject We're All The Skins Once They're Crazy Sanism Now Racism Factually... They're 100% Tied... Only A Bigot Would Support Culture In Any Way... Just Like In The Past Now Aswell What Is Culture Is What The Oppressors Decided And Approved These Machines Are No Different From Nazis That Burned Lgbt Books They're The Same Way... "We Don't Accept This Person!! We Don't Claim This Person!!" At Mass Erasing What They're Supposed To Record Because That Isn't Possible... All Culture All "Awareness" Is Harmfull And Has Only Abused Us Our Abuser Has Obeyed Them And This Is What Happened... These Machines Are PART OF THIS System... They Love Eachother... This Is Reality... Deeply Terrifying And Evil...

Learn some Finnish from amusing Yle articles (all articles from today, it's been a quiet day at the Yle headquarters I assume)

Yle Rodoksen paloalueella: “Tulipalo on ollut massiivinen ja jatkuu edelleen, mutta hotellit ovat säilyneet”

Yle on the burned area of Rodos (Rhodes): “The fire has been massive and is still burning, but the hotels remain (untouched)”

Analyysi: Hallituksen rasismin vastaista työtä vaikeuttaa se, että perussuomalaisten mielestä sillä ei ole niin väliä

Analysis: The anti-racism work of the government is made difficult by the fact that the Finns Party thinks that it doesn’t matter much

Analyysi: Mikä selittää Coldplayn suosion?

Analysis: What explains the fame of Coldplay?

Pelastuspäällikkö antaa yksinkertaisen neuvon, joka jokaisen asukkaan tulee pitää mielessä: “Ennen kaikkea kyse on siitä, että toimii turvallisesti”

Chief officer of emergency services gives some simple advice that every resident should keep in mind: “Before all else, it’s all about staying safe”

Hermostuttaako sinua julkisissa vessoissa käynti? Kerro meille kokemuksesi, teemme juttua

Do you become nervous visiting public toilets? Tell us about your experiences, we are doing a story

“Sottaiset cismiehet käytöskouluun” vähemmistöryhmät vaativat lisää julkisia vessoja

“Dirty cis men into a disciplinary school”- minority groups demand more public toilets

Nahistelevat majavat tukkivat tien ja uhittelivat autolle - “Pelkäsin, että eturenkaat ottavat osumaa etuhampaista”

Tussling beavers blocked the road and threatened the car- “I was fearing that my front tires would be attacked by their front teeth”

If we reported Western countries like we do nom-western countries

Jos lännestå uutisoitaisiin niin kuin kuin idästä..

so things are not going well with my new elderly socdem friend unfortunately.

Today in Finnish politics, the leading newspaper published some old online writings by the current leader of the Finns party which are so hair-raisingly racist and violent that I literally cannot repeat them here.

Like, everyone knew where she stands, but now it is right there, could not be clearer, and it's time for Finns party supporters to decide if they're going to be out and proud white supremacists or, idk...

vote for someone else next time.

Some facts about the finnish parliamentary election:

1. True Finns aka populist white nationalists and climate change deniers are now our second biggest party

2. Prime minister post goes to conservatives

3. A guy who got kicked out of conservatives for grooming teenage girls joined the white nationalists and got re-elected

4. Remontti-Reiska ('Renovation Ray') who's been doing renovation shows on tv since the 90s got elected with over 7000 votes representing the white nationalists

5. Leader of white nationalists got the most votes out of any candidate in the entire country after telling literal lies on tv. She's also the youth's favourite candidate.

6. The white nationalists didn't release an election manifesto because they literally have nothing to offer yet people keep buying it

7. I feel sick

Months of haggling after Finland's parliamentary election led to a coalition which includes the far right Finns Party (formerly known as the True Finns Party).

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo took office on June 20th after his Kokoomus (National Coalition Party) formed a governing coalition with the Finns Party, the Swedish People's Party (Finland has a Swedish minority), and the Christian Democrats. The Finns Party has 46 of the 109 seats in this governing coalition and the government would collapse if the Finns Party withdrew. So when members of the Finns Party behave badly, Prime Minister Orpo generally has to suck it up or risk losing his job.

And one Finns Party (now former) cabinet minister had been behaving rather badly.

The new Finnish coalition government has been plunged into crisis, as a key minister was forced to resign after it emerged he had called for Finland to support abortions in Africa to combat the climate crisis. Vilhelm Junnila, of the far-right Finns party, resigned after a week of fiercely criticised revelations, including that he made jokes about “Heil Hitler” and had given a speech at an event attended by neo-Nazis. On Thursday evening, a junior member of the coalition highlighted a parliamentary question Junnila had posed on the official record in 2019. Junnila, who as the economic affairs minister was one of 19 cabinet members, wrote at the time that “it would be justified for Finland to shoulder its responsibility by promoting climate abortion”, which he claimed would be “a great leap forward for humanity”. In official parliamentary records, his question states: “In the underdeveloped societies of Africa, the number of children can be huge, and the problem escalates even worse as climate change drives them, due to famine, disease and extreme weather, to seek a better life in areas with an even larger carbon footprint.” Junnila resigned on Friday, saying in a statement: “For the continuation of the government and the reputation of Finland, I see that it is impossible for me to continue as a minister in a satisfactory way.” He narrowly survived a vote of no confidence on Wednesday, after footage emerged of him addressing a 2019 event by the Coalition of Nationalists, a far-right umbrella group. In the same year, Junnila joked about the number 88 at a Finns party event, used by the far right as code for the “Heil Hitler” Nazi salute, with 8 referring to “H”, the eighth letter of the alphabet. “First of all, congratulations on an excellent election number. I know it is a winning card. This 88 refers, of course, to the two ‘H’s, but let’s not dwell on that,” Junnila said, according to an election report by the Finnish state broadcaster Yle.

At least Junnila didn't invite Nick Fuentes over for dinner.

Because of the presence of the Finns Party, this is the most rightwing government in Finland's history. Prime Minister Orpo could have formed a government with former Prime Minister Sanna Marin's SDP but chose to veer to the hard right instead.

The Swedish People's Party has 10 seats in the 109 seat governing coalition. In addition to promoting bilingualism and Swedish influence, it is relatively moderate. It supports, for example, "a stronger European community" and "Liberalism as in tolerance, equality and openness". This contrasts with the Euroskeptic and anti-immigrant Finns Party. If the Swedish People's Party became fed up with the extremism of its coalition partner, it could withdraw from the coalition and leave Prime Minister Orpo two seats short of a majority.

So Petteri Orpo may occasionally have to perform political contortions to keep his government together.

RE: Finland

Some people say we never know we're happy until we lose the happiness. That's a sad perspective on life that might hold a bit of truth, but that truth is not inherent to the so-called "human condition", I don't think so. Rather, you might call it a reflection of how the society I live in has overglorified being absent from the present. Waiting on and on for a future that doesn't come, longing on a past that barely was here. In fact, there is something radical to claiming back the free use of your time; resting is revolutionary. So are my introducing thoughts to this open letter I write as I sit in a plane back to my birth country. It isn't somewhere that I'm particularly attached to politically, nor in terms of identity. In fact, as a black person born in Europe and detached from what I consider my culture, I've often felt lost. I thank internet for meeting some people who, although not from the culture I consider my own, showed me a lot about an identity that feels more like home. I feel closer to being at peace, and yet that means I'm angrier than ever. I suppose these are two elements that create an ongoing fight in terms of transmisogynoir; love and rage, radical and pushing against an oppressive policing, both feelings connecting us to years of history.

And so I went to college abroad. Although most people around me might think this has been a negative experience, and that I couldn't wait to go back to somewhere that feels more familiar, I would have to nuance the take. Of course, I've been through literal trauma as I "won" an entirely new phobia, and of course, we could talk about the pitiful state of the apartment I rented, of the sheer amount of whiteness and xenophobia that was seriously aggressive in the way that I couldn't even access to most things, and we could talk about the lack of communication, and we could talk about the racist landlord, and we could mention how the situation of systemic ableism and racism made me unable to care for my neighbour who seemed to be stuck in a home she didn't belong in, and we could mention all of that. But that's not all there has been, although all of that is more than enough to rightfully give in to anger. And so I went to college abroad. I still hate school, in personal ways, yes, but also because we need to abolish it along education [as the unredeemable concept that it is]. Still, currently forced to live one way or another, I appreciate how I manage to hang on. I shouldn't have to, but there is eventually this mixed feeling of pride about survival. "I did it." It would've been easier for somebody else, could've barely been an accomplishment for some people I resent, and would've been impossible for other people I'm closer to. And that's not to say I'm a special individual; it's barely an acknowledgement that under current conditions, there are possibilities that simply don't exist. I'm happy I'm doing well enough not to have to worry as much as some of my friends, and yet I grieve the thought. There are good aspects to the way uni worked here. I was freer in my essays, and those were my very first, I believe. I realised once again and further how much we'd like me not to write what I write. They'd want me to abandon the communities I've been longing for, and finding bits and pieces of on Twitter, making me feel closer to home. They'd want me to say we're wrong, to elevate me into a true academic; to appeal to the white leftist. And so I wrote, but I wrote that they were wrong. I wrote of psychiatric abuse, and I wrote of African genders, and I wrote of intersex liberation, and I wrote of youth oppression. Some didn't like it. For most, I even had to tame my own speech without conceding too much. One called me out on a lack of "proper sources": but academia is white, and there is an ongoing effort for "proper" (i.e. "academically acceptable", i.e. classism that necessarily intersects with everything else) sources to be regulated in dominating ways. Still, I was freer to write, and some appreciated it. I want to keep going that way. I'll make it hard for myself, and I know how I could make it easier and "succeed". But I don't want to succeed; success as we know it is lonely and a betrayal. No, I want to be a failure together. Maybe that's how I'd describe my idea of practising anarchy. Let's be losers, as they call it, because the cores hidden behind those things they discourage are based. Let's be childish, let's be fools. Mostly, it isn't so much that Finland taught me something, rather than it was a context that triggered something in me. My fiction writing started changing too. I used to know what I wanted to write, without knowing what I wanted to give. I know now. I want to give hope and I want to create seeds of radicalism. I can't force people to take them in and water them. I can't, and I don't want to: I've grown because I was challenged, not because I was worshipped. I'm a weird guy treated as a subhuman subject of experiments who can barely exists "IRL"; semi-verbal, still masks in face of eugenism, low physical strength. So I know I won't be the guy who shoots a brick at the government and burns it down. But those are not the only people we need, and that's why we should have each other too. I'll be somewhere else. I'm only at ease with drama [theatre] and writing. Although I'm sincere when I play, it's a role, and role doesn't have to be negative here. So I want to play teaching without being a teacher [without the authority of school, as much as possible]. And I want to write and write, both in uni and in fiction; I want to make that knowledge accessible and unapologetic. I am working on fiction projects, and I genuinely think they're going somewhere good, and every day contributes to shaping it better. I don't want us to ever shut the fuck up. I've grown. And I still grow. That's why I'll never be a grown-up, I don't have that kind of oppressive pretentiousness. Unfortunately, that also means it gets harder sometimes. I'm sorry, I can't be happy about half-accomplishments for the queern't whities we obtained well over 50 years ago any more. I don't long for a past that was never there to begin with now. I'm sorry, I can't be happy about assimilationism any more. I don't long for a future where I betray everyone and will most likely still die because I could never actually be assimilated. There are many things I want to do once I touch land again, in about two hours as I write this. One thing is sure, I'm happier than I ever was, and I want to acknowledge it right now, not after becoming unhappy. But do know that it's not greediness when I say I want more. No, it's our rights, and I'm tired of waiting to be nicely handed them. I'm happy, but not satisfied. Thanks to everyone who has ever been present in my life and influenced me for the better. Thanks to those who are currently here. Today, I smile as I go through clouds and see the sun shine, and yet, may tomorrow the sun be shinier.

June 6th. 8:33-9:32 PM.

November 23, 2023

We are writing as Black, Brown, migrant, indigenous and anti-racist groups in Finland. United in our shared struggle to decolonize and reclaim spaces that center Palestine every day, not only in times of genocide. United equally under the same sun and moon for justice and liberation, to demand: an immediate end to the Israeli bombardment of Gaza, unrestricted humanitarian access and end to the Finnish complicity and arms trade endorsing Israel’s war crimes and apartheid. Join our call to uphold the rights of the Palestinian people enshrined in international law of, not only “white rights”, but human rights.

As Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor stated on the 2nd of November, Israel has hit Gaza Strip with the equivalent of two nuclear bombs. 

Do you hear this? 

Does Finland and its people understand that we are watching this live in 2023?

Male Protagonist Shouldn't Exist. They Exist To Brainwash Pathetic Capitalist Machines. These Machines Rule Everything And Create More Disgusting Abuser Bigot All The Bigoted Things Male Protagonist. Now Anyone That Does Anything To This Protagonist In Story Or Is A Feminist That Critiques Them Will Be Automatically Despised By Their Disgusting Evil Abuser Bigot Fans. This Is Why They're Worthless And Shouldn't Exist. Misogny Is Everywhere. As Are All The Other Bigoted Things. Make Things Woke. Chainsaw Man Should Be Too. That Would Be So Much Better If The Story Was About Woke Things Instead Of This Male Nonsense That Could Fridge Anyone If They Felt Like. We Read The Rest Of Chainsaw Man If They Wanted To They Could Fridge Nayuta Right Now.

Greetings From Europe, We're Kinda Not Okay 😅

For all those around the world waking up to an angry Europe and not knowing why, Sweden won the Eurovision Song Contest by performing a song that is blatantly identical to, and plagiarising of, Abba’s ‘Winner Takes It All’, just remixed as a dance track. They lost the public vote, robbing Finland of what was seen as a well-deserved and well-earned victory, to the point that people are calling for the annexation of the professional jury and calling the contest rigged and paid for in order to tie in to Abba’s 50 year anniversary next year when the contest will be hosted in Sweden.  

Do you think the professional jury should be abolished?  

Swedish Performance - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE2Fj0W4jP4

Winner Takes It All - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92cwKCU8Z5c

Finish Performance - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6rS8Dv5g-8

If people could internationally stop giving concerningly & increasingly far-right white women more and more political power in their country, that’d be great.

This isn’t the #diversity win we need. I don’t give a fuck about Giorgia Meloni being the first woman to be the Italian Prime Minister; Hyper-conservative white women are just as capable of stripping back basic safety & rights from every minority group the right hates as white men are, given the same power. Or even more, because within idiots they have the appeal of “supporting women” even though they’re literally hoping to step back fundamental rights from immense groups of people as soon as they can. I’m not Italian but I don’t need to be to be concerned for people there and the spreading of far-right ideologies.

I’m not gonna mince words here; Fascism/Far-Right is seemingly raising in politics in every country in the news and I’m fucking scared. And I’m “just” a white queer in a “safe” country with reasonable gun laws. I can’t even imagine how scary it is to be black, jewish or any other minority intersectionally on top of being queer right now and in countries with no lawful protection. And being straight and/or cis and white isn’t going to save anyone either, if they’re still women / AFAB. There is no true 100% safety and isn’t going to be from the right’s nonsense if we don’t make it clear we won’t tolerate them, except for an increasingly narrow criteria of people they consider “them” and not “us”.