Helsinki Times: Ritva Viljanen: The Finnish immigration debate is stuck on repeat

Helsinki Times: Ritva Viljanen: The Finnish immigration debate is stuck on repeat 4.11.2009

How are immigration and immigrants presented in discussions in different fora? Does the discussion give due attention to differing viewpoints, asks Ritva Viljanen.

Recently, there have been calls for discussion on immigration and immigrants. The issues have been superficially treated in several different media, including the internet. At the same time, more attention should be given to the variety of voices and perspectives featuring in the discussion. Does the discussion present a multifaceted picture, or does it simply recycle stereotypes? Do different discussion partners meet and listen to each other?

The Finnish immigration debate is going round in circles. Most of the current arguments date back to the beginning of the 1990s, when Finland first adopted a refugee policy. But if the argument has not moved on, we have: Finland today is a fixed part of the European community, and a part of the globalised world, too.

Talking about values does not come easy to Finns. We are not really used to it. And if such discussion is foreign to us, we also find it difficult to place ourselves in another person’s situation and consider the situation in terms of his or her needs. The movement towards a more multicultural society presents a challenge to the fundamental values of Finnish and Nordic society. Those values now need to become more pluralistic. Understanding of others, tolerance, and acceptance of difference are the departure points here.

In practice, Finland has only experienced immigration since the 2000s, so it is a rather new phenomenon. Today, Finland is home to 143,000 foreigners, and if we include those who have already been granted citizenship, the figure rises to 220,000 persons. Foreigners make up around three per cent of Finland’s population, which is one of the lowest proportions in Europe.

Finns have traditionally considered themselves a liberal-minded and non-racist nation. The fact that we have not actually had to encounter other cultures has facilitated this conceit. We have been able to marvel at, for example, the United States' racists and think it's something that does not concern us. Now that we actually find ourselves meeting other cultures and dealing with difference, racism and prejudice can be observed. The recession has also seen attitudes harden, as well as the emergence of increasingly caustic views.

In my view, one needs to only look at recent events to see evidence of some Finns’ prejudiced attitudes. When an eight-year-old Somali girl on her way to school one morning is shoved off a train onto the platform, simply because of the way she looks, we are dealing with a hate crime. When a refugee reception centre was set up in Kontiolahti, the more active members of the local village association demanded separate playing fields for blacks and whites. A study by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights found that African immigrants faced most racism in Italy, Malta and Finland. Finland is not yet home to any immigrant ghettos, but segregation within cities is already evident. A brawl between groups broke out in Varissuo, a suburb of Turku, which required around ten police officers to break up. A new political party, Muu-
tos 2011 ("Change 2011”), will contest the next election on an anti-immigration platform. The reporting of Barack Obama’s election also revealed a baffling attitude. The website of Finland’s chief news channel paired a picture of the new president with the following headline: ”USA elects first black president.” The report’s author was white. What if Martti Ahtisaari’s Nobel prize win had been reported similarly: "White, middle-aged man receives Nobel peace prize.”

Racism is an attack on the fundamental values of our society: equality, tolerance and anti-discrimination. The issue is more than a mere dispute with one’s neighbours, racism represents disdain for the central values of a pluralist, Western democracy and denigrates others.

Certain viewpoints are often repeated in the immigration debate. There are often references to the supposed threats and benefits of immigration, to the possibilities open to immigrants to integrate into Finnish society, and to the nature of racism and whether it exists in Finland. It is also worth considering how immigration and immigrants are presented in discussions in different fora – the media, the internet, interviews. Does the discussion give due attention to differing viewpoints? What do people find threatening in immigration, and how can this be addressed?

The definition of racism and its relation to justified criticism is often a tricky subject in these discussions. The sad reality is that ordinary criticism is sometimes paired with genuinely racist sentiments.


This article is based on a speech given by Ritva Viljanen at the publication event of the book "En ole rasisti, mutta..." on 29 October 2009 at the House of Estates in Helsinki.