In Finland, there was news today about a case in which the city of Mikkeli is renting out eighteen terraced houses for use as a reception centre. At the same time, it is evicting the current tenants from their homes. In other words, the Finnish residents of these homes are being replaced by immigrants – something many might associate with the idea — controversial as it is — that some kind of “population replacement” is taking place in Europe.
Right now, it appears that this decision is sparking considerable backlash among Finns. For example, Member of Parliament Jocka Träsbeck (National Coalition Party) commented that “In Mikkeli, the city’s priorities were set using the Tuppurainen method.” By this he was referring to a recent opinion of Tytti Tuppurainen – a Social Democratic politician and chair of her party’s parliamentary group – according to which “putting one’s own people first is harmful".
MP Tere Sammallahti (National Coalition Party) also weighed in on the matter, posing a rhetorical question: “What do you think – will this decision increase or decrease people’s willingness to pay taxes? Or racism?”
It is also worth noting that, in the minds of Finns, Mikkeli carries strong symbolic significance in connection with this change of residents. During the Second World War, the city served as the headquarters of the Finnish army.
It remains to be seen how the situation in Mikkeli will develop in the coming days. Will the social debate flare up into full blaze, or will it remain only a minor episode in the ongoing flow of Finland’s immigration discussion? And if it does flare up, will it lead to any political decisions – especially now, when the country’s leading anti-immigration party, the Finns Party, is part of the government.
Unfortunately, doing something is too early, until it is too late.
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