A Finnish afternoon newspaper reported yesterday that the Finnish Immigration Service had allegedly decided that all Gazans would be entitled to asylum in Finland. The claim sparked considerable surprise, and among others, the minister responsible, Mari Rantanen (Finns Party), immediately posted on social media that she had not seen any such decision. She also stated that there are “enormous risks related to Gazans because of Hamas terrorists.”
Member of Parliament Pia Kauma (National Coalition Party) likewise said, “I do not accept that we would blindly take anyone from Gaza into Finland. The residents of the area have extensive ties to the terrorist organization Hamas, as Hamas holds significant power in Gaza.”
Today, the Immigration Service corrected the afternoon newspaper’s report, stating that it was a misinterpretation by the journalist who wrote about the matter. In reality, all asylum seekers’ ties to terrorism are investigated before they are granted asylum in Finland. This also applies to residents of Gaza.
It should also be noted that Finland has in fact recently tightened its asylum policy. As a result, both the reception allowance for refugees and the duration of international protection have been reduced to a minimum, and additional grounds have been added for denying asylum. Furthermore, switching one’s residence permit basis from asylum to work-based immigration has been prohibited, family reunification to Finland has been restricted, and the requirements for obtaining citizenship have been tightened.
In this context, it is also worth noting that, in addition to the government, the largest opposition party — the Social Democrats — is also moving toward supporting a ban on wearing face-covering veils in schools. This means that Finnish legislation and practices will in the future be shaped in such a way that immigrants will be required to abandon customs that conflict with the Western way of life and instead integrate more fully into Finnish society and its social norms.
