Criticism from the Left Brought a Small Association’s Independence Day March into the Spotlight

Finland’s green-left politicians have harshly criticized the participation of two Members of Parliament from the government’s Finns Party — Teemu Keskisarja and Sheikki Laakso — in the annual 612 event held on Finland’s Independence Day (December 6). As a result, both MPs will forgo attending the Independence Day reception hosted by the President of the Republic, Alexander Stubb.

Ville Niinistö, a Member of the European Parliament from the Green Party, which is firmly positioned on the political left, commented on X (formerly Twitter) that MPs from governing parties form part of the government’s parliamentary majority. According to Niinistö, "if the government allows its MPs to openly support a far-right event that demeans the Republic’s independence and democracy, it constitutes an international-level scandal". He also called on Prime Minister Petteri "Orpo to take action".

Similarly, Minja Koskela, chairperson of the Left Alliance, wrote on X that she is curious to know what Prime Minister Orpo thinks about the actions of representatives from his coalition partner, especially after all the government’s proclamations against racism. She stated that "when two MPs from the Finns Party choose a far-right-linked march over the liberal President’s reception, it is a serious matter".

* * *

The 612 event has been organized annually since 2014. Initially, it attracted only a few hundred participants, but during the large wave of immigration, attendance surged to thousands before later declining back to a few hundred.

Among the organizers were, at least initially, several actors perceived as far-right. Conversely, far-left groups have, at times, sought to disrupt the event, even resorting to violence.

According to the event’s website, its "sole purpose is to celebrate Finland’s independence and honor the sacrifices made by previous generations. Participants are encouraged to respect the non-political nature of the event by leaving all political and other symbols at home. The organizers emphasize that societal inequality and political polarization have already driven a wedge between Finns. In uncertain times, the greatest strength of a small nation is its unity."

Furthermore, the event is organized by the 612.fi association, and participation is open to all who wish to celebrate Finland’s independence and honor the efforts and sacrifices of past generations. The only permitted emblem, flag, or slogan at the event is the official Finnish flag.

It remains to be seen whether the comments from the green-left bloc will have any impact on the government’s actions. However, one thing is already clear: as a result of these remarks, the 612.fi association and its march have received more publicity than they could have ever hoped to achieve otherwise.

Finally, it is worth noting that Niinistö’s and Koskela’s comments do not appear to align particularly well with the spirit of freedom of speech or freedom of assembly enshrined in Finnish law. However, this is not particularly surprising coming from the political left.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
The Green Movement is Withering – And That’s Not a Bad Thing
Demonstrations cause trouble in Helsinki and Sweden
Independence day of Finland now and 83 years ago

The stabbing of the 12-year-old led to political revelry among the left in Finland

There were two stabbings in the same town in Finland on the same day. In one of the cases, a person of immigrant background fatally stabbed an adult man.

In the other case, a well-known, notoriously violent Nazi, who despite multiple violent crimes was - according to Finnish legal practice - allowed to walk free, stabbed a 12-year-old immigrant child from behind. As of this writing, the child is alive and the Nazi is in police custody.

In due course, the judiciary will determine how soon he will be free again to continue his dangerous behavior towards his fellow citizens.

* * *

Of the two stabbings I mentioned earlier, it is the latter case that has received significant attention, and the identity of the perpetrator has been unusually reported because 'it is a serious act of societal significance, and the suspect has previously been convicted of far-right activities.' From this, one could infer that the killing/murder I mentioned first was not considered serious or of societal significance by the journalists writing about it, despite the death of the victim.

In contrast, the second case truly is, as Finance Minister Riikka Purra (Finns Party) mistakenly suggested that the perpetrator was of immigrant background - which is not surprising considering the recent increase in violence against children and young people by individuals of immigrant background. Of course, once the real ethnicity of the murderer was revealed, she corrected her view.

This has not stopped the far, extreme, or moderate left from reveling in the fate of the stabbing victim. At least just elected member of the EU-parliament Li Andersson (Left Alliance), long-time EU MEP Ville Niinistö (Green League), party leader and member of the Finnish parliament Sofia Virta (Green League), and member of the Finnish parliament Timo Harakka (Social Democrats) have done so. However, they do not appear to have had anything to say about the dark-skinned person's act of killing an adult man.

* * *

In this situation, it is important to state - and I state it myself - that both acts were heinous and should not be defended in any way. However, this cannot mean that discussions about immigration - its benefits, everyday realities, or drawbacks - should not continue.

Instead, these cases underline the government's - and also the opposition's - right and duty to strive to maximize the benefits of immigration and minimize its associated drawbacks.

The latter concerns both the actions of immigrants themselves and those of the marginal groups among the native population who are motivated by them. This includes groups such as the Nordic Resistance Movement, which served as the reference group for the perpetrator of the recent child stabbing and which the USA has just classified as a terrorist organization.

In Finland, the Supreme Court ordered the Nordic Resistance Movement to be disbanded already in 2020.

Aiempia ajatuksia samasta aihepiiristä:
Monenlaista väkivaltaa ja terrori-iskujen torjuntaa
Huumekaupan motivoimia jengisotia myös Suomeen?
Keskimääräisestä erottuva maahanmuuttaja on otettu kiinni