Knife attack at book presentation reveals deadly threat posed by Finnish far-right

Far-right extremism in Europe is a major cause for concern, especially as extremist groups have started using violence to back up their racist rhetoric targeting immigrants, Muslims and other minority groups. A knife attack at a book presentation event in a city library in Jyväskylä in central Finland on 30 January 2013 reveals that far-right extremists in the Nordic country have become violent and pose a deadly threat to minority groups and Finns of goodwill who promote multiculturalism and those who stand up against far-right extremism.

A group of young men who call themselves "patriots" disrupted a discussion event about Finnish far-right extremism. According to Yle, the "patriots" were denied entry to an event in the Jyväskylä city library. The event was in connection with the presentation of a book titled "Äärioikeisto Suomessa" ("The Finnish Far-Right"). The young men started a fight and one person was injured with a knife. Bottles were also reportedly used as weapons. The men involved are reportedly affiliated with a militant, anti-democratic extreme right-wing organization called. [Source]

According to a Finnish Security Intelligence Service (SUPO) research there is evidence to show extremist groups in Finland have an "ideological preparedness" to commit violence. [Source] The research indicates that the country should be prepared to deal with terrorist attacks of the kind carried out by Norwegian far-right terrorist and mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik. According to the researcher far-right extremist groups in Finland have so far remained within the law. But the Jyväskylä attack indicates the contrary: Finland's far-right extremist groups operate outside the law.

In my opinion, the knifing at the event was designed to disrupt the book presentation and the goal of the "patriots" far-right affiliates involved was to terrorize authors of the book and their audience. It was a violent attack on freedom of expression and freedom of association, and an attempt to silence critics of right-wing extremism.

According to authors of Äärioikeisto Suomessa, radical views and racist remarks are becoming more acceptable and mainstream in Finnish public debate. [Source] I agree with the authors. Racist anti-immigration statements - even by public officials - are common and enough Finns and people in power don't condemn such remarks. A case in point is a racist remark by Perussuomalaiset MP Teuvo Hakkarainen in a video interview on his first day in parliament. He used the Finnish word neekeri (the n-word) to describe people of African descent. Recent widely read and criticized writings by people like Pakistani-born Umayya Abu-Hanna and Somali-born Wali Hashi reveal that the use of the offensive and derogatory n-word is widespread in Finnish everyday life. Police declined to investigate MP Hakkarainen's foreigner comments at the request of the Ombudsman for Minorities. Racists have been given a blank check.

From the point of view of a researcher at the University of Eastern Finland, the Jyväskylä knife attack is no surprise given the recent political developments in Finland and Europe. Police chief Tuomas Portankorva isn't also surprised by the incident.

I was surprised to learn that the Minister of Interior, Päivi Räsänen, doesn't see the far-right as a strong threat in Finland. In my view, the authorities downplay the threat in a bid to keep the public calm. But people deserve to know the truth. Right-wing extremism poses a real deadly threat to Finnish democracy and freedoms as proponents of neo-Nazi views seek to terrorize minority groups and silence critics. The cowardly attack in Jyväskylä city library is an indication that far-right extremists in Finland are violent and if given the chance could commit terrorist attacks of the kind committed by Anders Breivik in Norway. The authorities should not overlook the incident simply because only one person was injured. Perpetrators should bear the full weight of the law. Finland should take concrete steps to ensure that far-right extremists who, like Breivik, strongly oppose multiculturalism don't go down the same road like the Norwegian mass murderer. Unlike Norway, Finland has had warning signs. In February 2012, a gunman opened fired in a pizzeria in northern Finland killing an immigrant of Moroccan origin. Forewarned is forearmed.

*Photo of book on Finnish far-right: Yle.

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Unconditional support for Atlanta Million Woman Walk for Congo

I saw a great quote on Twitter, that read: "I always wondered why somebody doesn't do something about that. Then I realized I was somebody." The quote, which is attributed to Lily Tomlin, in my opinion is a call to service. It is a call for people of goodwill to step up to the plate to make a difference in the world. A war has raged on in the Democratic Republic of Congo for decades and many people wonder why somebody hasn't done something about it. A small group of women have realized that they can do something about it. They are organizing a walk in Atlanta, Georgia for the women of DR Congo.

The DR Congo is located in central Africa and it's the second largest country in the continent. With a population of 71 million, DR Congo has for decades been embroiled in a bloody armed conflict, that claimed about five million lives between 1994 and 2003. The conflict has been described in gruesome terms, including the "deadliest conflict in African history". [Source] Despite peace accords and United Nations Peacekeeping forces on the ground, war continues mainly in the east of the country - with devastating effects on the civilian population, especially women and children. For more than 10 years, the UN has been engaged in DR Congo. At one point, the biggest UN Peacekeeping mission with almost 20,000 personnel was in the country, but the mission has little to show for its presence in terms of peace.

Since May 2012, about 800,000 people in DR Congo have been displaced. [Source]

Women and children bear the brunt of the war. Rape is used as a weapon of war and many actors in the conflict have been accused of using children as soldiers - a practice, that is classified by the International Labour Organization as one of the worst forms of child labour.

Objectives of the Atlanta walk

The Atlanta Million Woman Walk for Congo has four simple objectives: to call attention to the war in the DR Congo, to urge the U.S. to hold its allies accountable for their role in destabilizing the Congo, to call on world leaders and U.S. Congress to commit to ending the war, and to stand in solidarity with the most vulnerable civilian population affected by the war.

How you can help

The organizers of the walk have my unconditional support. My support is driven by the fact that I have a mother, four sisters, a wife and a daughter. I won't wish what is happening to women and girls in DR Congo on any of them. I completely support the Atlanta Million Woman Walk for Congo and the campaign to raise money to support women and children affected by the war. I hope the walk draws more attention to a war, that is relatively forgotten - and even unknown to some people. Open a newspaper or turn on your international news TV channel any day, chances are you will hear or read about armed conflicts and rapes around the world - but you will probably not hear a thing about DR Congo - despite the fact that 48 women are raped every hour in the central African country and 12 percent of its women have been raped at least once. [Source]

Women are reportedly brutally raped multiple times, sometimes with sticks, guns and even bayonets. This, in my view, is unacceptable.

The good news is, that you can do something to help. If you are in Atlanta, I encourage you to join the walk for Congo scheduled to take place on Saturday 23 March 2013. Everyone is welcomed. The walk starts at 10 A.M. at Georgia World Congress Centre in downtown Atlanta.

If you can't make it to the walk, you can make a donation, that will go a long way to help affected women and children. Funds raised will be used to provide shelter for displaced women and their children, to set up means of livelihood, such as helping them start up petty businesses, provide medical supplies to local hospitals and provide food, clothing and basic necessities to women and their children caught in the crossfire.

The goal of the fundraising campaign is to raise 10,000 dollars in 14 days. As of the time of writing, the fundraising campaign has 13 days to go. Chip in what you have to offer. Every amount will be helpful.

To my fellow bloggers, I encourage you to throw your weight behind the Atlanta Million Walk for Congo.

Spread the word on the streets of Atlanta and on social media. Share information about the walk on Facebook and tweet about it. I'm on twitter and will tweet about the Atlanta Walk for Congo using the hashtag #ATL4Congo. Join the campaign in any possible way. The women of Congo would be grateful.

*Photo of rape victim, DR Congo: TheGuardian.

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James Hirvisaari: An embarrassment to Finland's parliament

Parliament is no place for someone who has been convicted of inciting hatred. As lawmakers, Members of Parliament are supposed to be respectable, law-abiding citizens. But in Finland, some lawmakers - mostly representatives of the populist far-right Finns Party - are convicted lawbreakers.

Fifty two-year-old James Hirvisaari who seemingly enjoys fanning flames of hate against immigrants, refugees and other ethnic, religious and national minority groups in Finland is one of such MPs. South Africans were targets of his latest onslaught. I am not a South African, but I found his comments offensive.

James Hirvisaari was convicted in 2011 of ethnic agitation. The Kouvola Court of Appeal found him guilty of inciting ethnic hatred in a blog post. According to the court, Hirvisaari's text was slanderous and likely to cause contempt and hatred towards Muslims. He was slapped with a fine of 1,425 euros.

Despite this conviction, Hirvisaari keeps his seat in Finland's eduskunta (parliament) and has continued to slander minority groups and incite hatred. I guess this supports the idiom that a leopard can't change its spots.

In the latest of his derogatory comments, the 52-year-old said South Africa has a "criminal jungle culture" and that rape is a "national pastime" in the rainbow nation. He said foreigners in Finland are over-represented in rape statistics and that raping is a genetic trait. According to Hirvisaari, immigration from countries with the same type of cultural environment as South Africa should be tightened. [Source]

In my view, what the MP was trying to say is that Africans and foreigners in general are genetically programmed to rape.

As an African who unlike Hirvisaari has never been convicted, I find his comment deeply offensive. Some foreigners commit rape, but not all foreigners are rapists. In the same vein, the fact that some Finns are racist far-right fundamentalists does not mean that all Finns hold neo-Nazi views. It is not sensible to reach an inductive generalization based on insufficient evidence. Foreigners convicted of rape are only a small sample group and do not represent all foreigners. 

By the way, according to rape statistics, which are routinely misused by far-right ideologists for political gains, 27 percent of rape suspects in 2011 were foreigners. Hence 73 percent were NOT foreigners. It would however be wrong to argue that non-foreign suspects - who made up the majority of rape suspects two years ago - are genetically wired to commit rape. There is no scientific evidence to support such an abhorrent claim.

In my opinion, James Hirvisaari does not base his arguments on facts. His views are shaped by prejudice and are detrimental to human rights and democratic principles of freedom and equality. He is an embarrassment to Finland's parliament and to lawmakers around the world. His comments are demeaning to the reputation of the office he holds. MPs make laws; they do not undermine laws for political gains or self-gratification. Finland's parliament is charged with legislative and budgetary powers, it is no place for convicts.

*Photo: Ilta Sanomat.

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