Why Is the Case of Issam Rafil, Convicted of a Sexual Offense in Finland, Important for Britain?

I begin this text with a court decision that I hope will gain attention in Britain, particularly at 10 Downing Street. The quote is from Finland's largest daily newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, and reads as follows: "Helsinki District Court sentenced Issam Rafil, born in 1984, to three years and four months in prison for two rapes."

I mention this because, although such crimes—occurring with increasing frequency—are often left unspoken in Finland, they occasionally make their way into the country's leading media outlets. This was also the case with the aforementioned rapist. In this matter, the real winner is, above all, freedom of speech, which the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has recently sought to curtail (see also this text).

More generally, Finland finds itself in a difficult position as sexual crimes are rising rapidly. According to the country's statistics agency, approximately 6,700 sexual offenses were reported between January and September 2024. Of these, around 1,400 were classified as rapes under the new sexual offense law, marking a 40% increase compared to the previous year.

According to a police inspector, the high numbers can partly be explained by the fact that sexual crimes occurring online easily create spikes in police statistics. On the internet, the number of victims can quickly rise to hundreds.

I believe this explanation is accurate. Nevertheless, I also think that certain cultural factors play a role in this issue. For this reason, I find it highly necessary that Petteri Orpo's government program for 2024–2027 includes as many as 32 measures. These include learning the Finnish language, gaining employment, familiarizing oneself with Finnish society, and learning to adhere to its rules. In relation to the theme I am addressing here, the last of these is the most important.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Citizen Journalism, Free Speech, and EU Challenges
Finnish Immigration Policy Aims to Maximize Benefits and Minimize Drawbacks
The UK Prime Minister Took a One-Sided Stance on the Country's Protests

Over a Hundred Child Abusers Caught, and the Far-Left's Paavo Arhinmäki Gains Followers in Finland

The internet-related sexual crimes investigation unit operating at the police station in Turku, Finland, has uncovered, during its operation, over one hundred individuals suspected of luring one or more children on social media into sexual activities and of paying for sexual services from minors during the years 2021–2022.

The majority of the uncovered crimes are sexual offenses, including the sexual abuse of children and sexual acts against children, both in their basic and aggravated forms. These acts have occurred both on social media and in the real world. In addition to sexual offenses, cases of domestic violence, drug crimes, and firearms offenses have also come to light.

Some of the suspects have prior sexual offense records, but the majority either have no criminal history or no history of sexual offenses. The suspects come from diverse backgrounds and represent all social classes.

Furthermore, police searches have revealed approximately 300 new suspected crimes that were previously unknown to law enforcement. The investigation of these offenses is ongoing at various police departments, and the number is expected to rise further.

It remains to be seen how extensive this case will ultimately become. However, it is already clear that Finland, once considered a safe haven, is no longer as secure, as the threat posed by mentally disturbed pedophiles has become an increasingly significant risk, even for children.

* * *

Of course, children themselves are also capable of doing foolish things. In the small Finnish town of Pargas, three so-called graffiti and tag painters have been caught. They are all under 15 years of age.

Among their tags was the acronym FTP, meaning "Fuck the Police." This hardly demonstrates a great deal of respect for societal order and safety on the part of the perpetrators.

The police have documented a total of 33 vandalized targets. These include the walls, doors, windows, and fences of both public and private buildings, defaced with spray paint and markers. As a result, the individuals, businesses, and the town of Pargas that suffered damages from the teens' vandalism can claim compensation for their losses from the young painters. Time will tell whether this teaches them anything.

However, less attention has been paid to the fact that Helsinki's far-left Deputy Mayor, then 47-year-old Paavo Arhinmäki, was caught last year engaging in a similar act of vandalism to that of the teens now held accountable. Nor has it been widely discussed whether Arhinmäki served as a kind of role model for them or if the Deputy Mayor is quite pleased to see that his senseless behavior has gained followers.

All of this is particularly interesting because the Left Alliance has nominated Paavo Arhinmäki as their candidate for the Helsinki mayoral race. In other words, they consider him capable of leading Finland’s largest city. 

But could this be a misjudgment? And if so, what does that say about the Left Alliance itself?

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
A Homosexual Rape Underscores the Need for Change in Immigration Policy
The UK Prime Minister Took a One-Sided Stance on the Country's Protests
Competence of the political left

Strong statement or intellectual dishonesty in COP27?

A historical decision was made in COP27 meeting in Egypt. According to that, wealthy countries will pay for developing ones from damages attributable to the climatic change, which is considered to happen due to the wealthy nations.

The decision was made, and I can only accept it. I would, however, like to hear if developing countries are willing to give up those modern things, which were created along the development that led to the compensations decided. That is: vehicles, flights, internet, phones, electricity etc... 

I think that would be a great sign of their willingness to refuse from such a negative developments, that their innovators are expected to pay for their existence. In others words, staying in each nation´s own innovations would make a strong statement on their willingness to stick in a sustainable way of life. 

If no one shows any willingness to give up those harmful innovations, I am afraid that the decision of compensation made in the COP27 meeting looks like intellectual dishonesty and only a new way to transfer money from north to south. Which may or may not be well justified due to some other reasons. 

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
China is betting on scientific excellence
They want to wipe out from Finland what is good for Africa
World Resources Institute had an arrogant demand