Attitudes Toward Immigrants Are a Problem in Schools

In recent decades, it has long been known that humanitarian immigration has had harmful effects on Western societies. For example, the link between immigration and increased gang, drug, and sexual crime is quite clear (example, another).

Less has been said about other impacts of people from developing countries on Western nations. In Finland’s case, however, this is one of the reasons why, according to PISA tests, the country’s school system is no longer anywhere near the best in the world.

The matter was written about by a local Helsinki newspaper, which interviewed Ulla Talvensaari, who has worked as a primary school teacher for 25 years. To understand her views, my esteemed reader must know that in many Helsinki schools, the proportion of pupils with an immigrant background can exceed half of the student body.

According to the experienced teacher, insufficient Finnish language instruction for pupils with an immigrant background threatens to weaken the entire education system, from primary school to vocational studies. This is reflected in the fact that “today only the sharpest quarter of pupils can manage tasks that, at the start of my career around the turn of the millennium, were routine for the majority.”

This has led to a situation where “secondary school teachers wonder why children with such weak skills have been allowed to pass through primary school to higher levels. In vocational studies, people then question secondary school assessments. Eventually, in vocational schools, standards are lowered and incompetence becomes a burden for working life.”

Schools also do not take immigrant pupils’ lack of competence seriously, but instead “it is now difficult for a teacher to hold anyone back a grade or to give conditional passes. Many teachers end up lowering standards just to get everyone through the system.” In this way, they avoid being branded as racists for prolonging immigrant pupils’ time at school.

Thus, the teacher raises the question: “Is it really equality if there are huge gaps in skill levels within classrooms? We used to talk about the Gaussian curve. Most pupils were average, with only a small number being particularly weak or highly gifted. Now the middle group has almost disappeared, and classrooms consist mostly of extremes—either capable pupils or those with major learning challenges.”

As one way to improve the situation, the teacher also calls for more parental responsibility. In her view, “we [Finns] should demand that immigrant parents also practice Finnish regularly at home with their children.”

One can only hope that this teacher will be listened to both in Finland and elsewhere in Europe, and that society will abandon woke dogmas and instead uphold children’s right to learn at school—including those with immigrant backgrounds. This should remain the case even if their learning takes longer than that of the native population’s children.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Unintended Consequences of Modern Value Shifts
Finland Denies Blanket Asylum for Gazans, Confirms Tighter Immigration Policies
Has Modern Education Strayed Too Far — and Is It Time to Change Course?

Library Scrubs Queer Creator’s Character from Moomin Exhibit

"Wokeism" does not appear to have ended in the United States yet, according to a news report from Hufvudstadsbladet relayed by MTV3. A picture of the character Stinky was removed from an exhibition dedicated to the inhabitants of Moominvalley and their creator Tove Jansson, held at the Brooklyn Public Library in New York, due to allegations of racism. According to a spokesperson for the library, the aim was to create an environment where everyone feels welcome.

In reality, Stinky has nothing to do with racism. He is simply a somewhat annoying character from the stories, created at a time when there was no discussion of racism in Finland—Tove Jansson’s homeland—because the population was racially homogeneous. Stinky’s black color does not allude to any skin tone; it was simply a color the artist felt suited the character.

Well, what can one say to that? Perhaps that the Brooklyn library doesn’t seem to be showing much respect for the artistic work of Tove Jansson — the creator of Stinky, and herself a member of both a sexual and linguistic minority. But surely they couldn’t actually be homophobic... could they?

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Finnish Trans Woman Speaks Out on Transgender Rights in Sports
An African and an Iranian Immigrant Educated a Woke-Blinded Deputy Mayor
A Finnish Deputy Mayor Wanted to Ban an Old Board Game from Children

Why Is Keir Starmer Commissioning an Inquiry Instead of Taking Action?

From the perspective here in Finland, it seems strange that the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, has decided to commission an investigation into grooming gangs. This is because the existence of these gangs and their ethnic composition have been known in Finland for a long time already.

For example, I first wrote (in Finnish) about the subject back in 2017, that is, about eight years ago. At the time, I specifically stated that "the worst known case is probably the Rotherham rape ring, which operated in the UK for 16 years and was covered up by the authorities for years out of fear of being labeled racist."

Since then, I have continued to write about the topic. The following year, in 2018, I brought up a prostitution ring that had operated in Telford, England, for decades, "which may have had up to a thousand child victims, mostly from the native population."

In other words, the Asian grooming gangs in the UK—and the related issues with authorities—have been quite well known to us Finns for a long time. And we are also aware that Keir Starmer's administration tried to sweep the matter under the rug by blaming those who aimed to draw official attention to child rapists.

An example of this is my own English-language article, in which I stated: "this is why it is necessary to ask the people of Britain and the world—especially those who see far-right extremism and racism everywhere—why they consider violent protests acceptable in the case of George Floyd, but not in response to the child murders that have shocked the United Kingdom?"

So, if there is no ambiguity here in Finland about the existence or composition of the UK’s grooming gangs, then why on earth is Keir Starmer only now—in the summer of 2025—starting to take action... excuse me, ordering an investigation into the matter? Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to ensure that there is no room for such gangs in British society in the future?

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Reform UK’s Landslide: Wake-Up Call for Labour and Tories Alike
Why Is the Case of Issam Rafil, Convicted of a Sexual Offense in Finland, Important for Britain?
Is the UK's Democracy Facing an Existential Crisis?

Racial Bias in U.S. Traffic Policing

U.S. police issue traffic fines to racial or ethnic minority drivers more often than to white drivers. However, this does not necessarily mean that police officers are racist, as the disparity could also result from actual differences in driving speeds between demographic groups.

To investigate this issue, Pradhi Aggarwal and his colleagues objectively analyzed drivers' locations, speeds, and speed limits but found no significant differences in speeding behavior or traffic violations. Moreover, they discovered that when both white and minority drivers drove at identical speeds, police were still 33% more likely to issue speeding citations to minority drivers and imposed fines that were 34% higher.

In other words, U.S. police are not neutral regarding the country’s racial and ethnic groups but treat minorities more harshly than white drivers. Naturally, this is an issue that American law enforcement should address as soon as possible.

However, the researchers also noted that their study participants were not a random sample of the entire population but rather better-trained drivers working for a specific rideshare service. Thus, the possibility remains that minority drivers might, on average, follow traffic laws less strictly than white drivers, which could lead police to have a more negative attitude toward them.

This, in turn, might explain why minorities are more easily stopped and fined more harshly. However, this explanation remains—at least for now—pure speculation. Therefore, at this stage, scientific evidence supports the conclusion that traffic law enforcement exhibits racial bias. And this conclusion will not change unless further research specifically addresses the question.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Attitudes towards immigrants are not becoming more positive in Western countries
Racism or self-preservation instinct?
People with Middle Eastern and North African inheritance identify themselves as non-Whites

An African and an Iranian Immigrant Educated a Woke-Blinded Deputy Mayor

Yesterday, I wrote about how an ethnically Finnish female deputy mayor Piia Elo (Social Democrats) wanted to take an old board game - Star of Africa - away from children in daycare. It didn’t take long before Somali-born school assistant Jama Jama weighed in on the matter.

He stated, “Good people, leave the board games alone. This makes no sense… Leave the board games for children and youth to play. The ‘Star of Africa’ is part of Finnish culture… I play it (‘Star of Africa’) every day with the kids. There is no racism in that game.”

And he’s not the only one. An Iranian living in Finland, Bijan Rezah Jahromi, also commented on social media, writing, “I personally remember when I moved to Finland at the age of 6, we played the ‘Star of Africa’ and other board games as well as ice hockey. That’s how I quickly learned the Finnish language. Let children be children.”

So, it took an African and an Iranian immigrant to tell an ethnically Finnish, woke-blinded deputy mayor that she is utterly lacking in understanding. Unfortunately, I suspect that this particular Social Democrat and self-appointed advocate doesn’t have the insight to recognize even the disregard—if not outright racism—toward Africans and their culture inherent in her own behavior.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
A Finnish Deputy Mayor Wanted to Ban an Old Board Game from Children
A Finnish police officer is afraid to speak about the problems of immigration
Finnish journalist called for British Prime Minister´s head to be placed on London bridge to dry

A Finnish Deputy Mayor Wanted to Ban an Old Board Game from Children

The peak of the woke phenomenon has already passed, for example, in the United States. As evidence of this, many companies have begun removing the peculiar features inspired by the movement from their operations.

In Finland, however, woke activism continues, as demonstrated by a recent debate concerning daycare centers in Turku. It so happened that Turku’s Deputy Mayor, Piia Elo (Social Democrats), expressed her opinion that a popular board game from the 1950s, The Star of Africa ("Afrikan Tähti" in Finnish), should be removed from daycare centers.

The game is set in colonial-era Africa, where players search for a mythical diamond while traveling across the continent’s map on foot, by boat, and by airplane. Along the way, they discover treasures of monetary value but occasionally fall victim to white bandits.

Deputy Mayor Elo made her suggestion after the issue was raised by Paco Diop, an alternate council member representing the far-left (Left Alliance) in Turku. He pointed out that the game’s cover illustration depicts a stereotypical African figure characteristic of the colonial era.

Fortunately, not all Turku residents are as misguided as Elo or Diop. The Mayor of Turku, Minna Arve, correctly noted that The Star of Africa is a game developed in the 1950s. She explained that "It is a product of its time, and its illustrations and themes reflect the worldview of that era. Some of the imagery does not align with today’s values, and it’s worthwhile to discuss how to address such matters when teaching children how to play."

However, she added, "I consider it excessive to suddenly start removing games. I understand Deputy Mayor Piia Elo’s perspective, but I think the reaction was hasty, and I do not support political directives to daycare centers regarding individual games—for me, that is not the right approach."

Time will tell whether the words of Turku’s woke-inspired Deputy Mayor carry more weight than those of the pragmatic Mayor. For my part, I would like to say that the game is enjoyable to play with children—most of whom enjoy it—and provides educators with an opportunity for the kind of social interaction with kids that digital platforms cannot offer. At the same time, educators can, if they wish, teach children about the dark history of the imperialist era.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Three Islamists Arrested in Finland on Suspicion of Belonging to a Terrorist Group
Eurovision Song Contest Funding Faces Pushback Due to Woke Ideology
Finland’s Minister of Finance Believes Not All Cultures Are Equally Good

The root causes of racist violence

In the editorial of the Finnish afternoon newspaper Ilta-Sanomat, the stance of President Alexander Stubb and Petteri Orpo's (National Coalition Party) government was discussed, which stated that Finland's greatest challenge is Russia and its grandiose president Vladimir Putin. This is especially true if his army were to succeed in winning in Ukraine.

There is nothing special about bringing up this topic as the subject of the editorial, since the threat from Russia is well known. What was more surprising, however, was that the editorial writer moved on to the problems related to immigrants from developing countries at the end of the text.

The text went exactly as follows: "An even greater threat feeding citizens' sense of insecurity is brewing in racist violence, social exclusion, and growing gang violence. The stabbings that occurred in a shopping center in Oulu should wake up decision-makers – even without reports."

Highlighting the two native perpetrators of the stabbings in the Oulu shopping center suggests that, in the editorial writer's opinion, the problem lies particularly with the racist crimes committed by native people against immigrants. On the other hand, it is probably well known that, according to statistics, Iraqis and Somalis living in our country commit crimes against life and health more than three times as often as Finns, relative to their age and number.

Indeed, their contribution to assaults has an even slightly greater overrepresentation. And sexual crimes much more commonly – Iraqis with even over 12 times the likelihood compared to the native population. Nor is their overrepresentation in violent and drug-dealing youth groups and gangs unknown.

Therefore, I consider it likely that the racism directed towards immigrants by the majority population has not arisen out of nowhere but, as the old Finnish saying goes, "so the forest answers as you call into it." This is not a defense speech for the Finns guilty of violence – for they have shown by their actions to be on the level of the worst idiots from the developing countries – but a remark on the actual state of affairs.

Therefore, the editor-in-chief of Ilta-Sanomat should also present the entire issue comprehensively, taking into account all the factors influencing the whole situation.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Immigration issue
Will the multinational force led by Kenyans help?
An immigrant who stands out from the average has been taken into custody

A Finnish police officer is afraid to speak about the problems of immigration

During this week Petteri Orpo's (National Coalition Party) government of Finland reached a consensus on what constitutes racism and what does not - and distanced itself from it. At the same time, youth violence has continued in our country, with an emphasis on individuals who are ethnically different from native Finns.

This is evident, as the number of crimes committed by young people in Finland has grown significantly compared to last year. The most notable increase has occurred in robberies committed by minors, the number of which has almost doubled. In the first half of last year, there were 484 robberies committed by those under 18, whereas this year, the number has already risen to 735.

According to Kirsi Pimiä from the for Ministry for Internal Security and Migration, "there is now a greater amount of videos being shared on social media, where young people have recorded others in humiliating videos. These videos have been widely circulated and include also content related to sexual crimes."

The same article states that - as also I have previously noted - there are eleven street gangs in Finland, with around three hundred young individuals involved in their activities in the Helsinki metropolitan area and Turku. Thus, organized crime is by no means only isolated incidents.

According to Tom Packalén - former politician and a Chief Inspector of the Helsinki police - who was interviewed by Vantaan Sanomat, a local newspaper, "foreigners' involvement in daily cases is now very significant. This includes those who have entered the country illegally. Strengthening the deportations of those who are in the country illegally will be an important matter. I believe that the new government will initiate deportations with full force."

This would naturally be desirable. However, it remains to be seen whether the government can fulfill Packalén's wish, or whether the concern for the safety of Finns will continue to be compromised due to what are perceived as superficial humanitarian justifications.

In this regard, it was particularly significant that the Chief Inspector's comment indicated, "crime related to immigration... I am a civil servant now. I have to say it correctly so that I won't be reprimanded." This is concerning because this comment starkly illustrates how the atmosphere in Finland has become so strange that even a police officer does not dare to speak about facts as they are.

Therefore, I offer advice to Petteri Orpo and his government, especially to Minister Anna-Maja Henriksson (Swedish People's Party): please ensure that people of Finland don´t have to fear presenting facts and that discussing real problems or seeking effective solutions to them is not only possible but encouraged.

In this light it was interesting to note this morning, that a popular presidential candidate Mika Aaltola - who comes from outside of the mainstream politics - stated in an interview with the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle) that immigration should not be approached through identity politics or as a moral issue but rather as a practical matter. He also suggested that Finland should study the problems in Sweden and draw conclusions from them.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Finland offers a discount for serial criminals
Sweden already in trouble - Finland following
Did police have the right to strip women

Attitudes towards immigrants are not becoming more positive in Western countries

If you follow the European media, one could imagine that racism in Europe - and thus also in Finland - would be terrible, yet gradually disappearing. Therefore, it was interesting to read a study that examined changes related to race and ethnic discrimination in hiring practices across six European and North American countries.

These countries were Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States. The data included all available discrimination assessments from 90 recruitment experiments conducted in various fields, covering over 170,000 job applications.

However, the time periods covered in the study varied by country: for instance, experiments conducted in the United Kingdom spanned from 1969 to 2017, while in Germany, the study only included the years 1994 to 2017. Discrimination trends were analyzed in relation to four groups with different origins: Black, Asian, Latino, and individuals from the Middle East or North Africa.

The results obtained by the researchers indicated that observed discrimination during recruitment has either remained the same or slightly increased in most countries and origin groups. Three specific changes were particularly notable. The first change was an increase in recruitment discrimination against individuals from the Middle East and North Africa, from the 1990s to the 2000s. The second significant finding was a reduction in discrimination in France, but only from extremely high levels to "only" high levels. The third change was that discrimination had increased over time in the Netherlands.

All of this suggests that the often stated claim of decreasing discrimination due to increased interactions with immigrants is not true. On the contrary, discrimination had not decreased in the past decades in five out of the six Western countries examined in the study - and most likely not in Finland either.

This raises the question of why it often appears that attitudes towards immigrants in Finland are most positive in large immigrant-rich cities, according to surveys, and more negative in rural areas where immigrants are scarcely present. Is this a case of urban residents simply misleading surveyors, or perhaps their conformity, the tendency to adapt to others' opinions - or at least perceived opinions?

Such perception might be due, especially, to the way our press tends to report on anything related to immigration in an overly positive light and, on the other hand, remain silent about its negative aspects. Additionally, the rural population might be influenced by the fact that there are hardly any immigrants there, so there hasn't been much interest or need to pay attention to press propaganda. The pressure to conform - or to lie in survey studies - hasn't arisen nearly to the same extent as it has among city dwellers.

On the other hand, recruitment is an action that measures people's real attitudes, and there's no room for conformity, as the success of the company or hiring leadership directly depends on the hired individual. Therefore, it is a much more reliable gauge of people's attitudes towards immigrants compared to survey studies.

The original blog in Finnish:
Suhtautuminen maahanmuuttajiin ei ole muuttumassa positiivisemmaksi länsimaissa

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
"Woke" pushes American science academies to favor women in their membership selections
Racism or self-preservation instinct?
People with Middle Eastern and North African inheritance identify themselves as non-Whites

Finnish journalist called for British Prime Minister´s head to be placed on London bridge to dry

In recent times, there has been an ongoing debate in Finland, where the country's leading newspaper - Helsingin Sanomat - has unearthed old social media messages of ministers that are alleged to be racist. The purpose behind this is to bring down the right-wing government, in which the second smallest party - the Swedish People's Party - is struggling with these issues.

As this has continued for a sufficient period, even those supporting the government have started to search for similar writings from Helsingin Sanomat journalists. The latest revelation includes a few years old social media post by the newspaper's executive editor-in-chief's spouse, Saska Saarikoski. In that post, there was a demand for the then British Prime Minister's head to be placed on London Bridge to dry. Saarikoski has not apologized for his writing.

In a previous case, a nearly ten-year-old article from Helsingin Sanomat was also brought up, in which readers were encouraged to come up with derogatory nicknames for Estonians. The newspaper's editorial staff has not apologized for this message either.

It remains to be seen where this exchange of words will lead. However, it is evident that such confrontation is not beneficial for either the development of Finnish society or its reputation abroad.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
An ignorant mediahouse failed again in historical facts
Why a journalist was unaware on the number of Stalin´s victims?
Climate change raises dishonesty in the Finnish media
 

The Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs apologized to the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs for the words of the woman who criticized the man who exposed his penis

In Finland, the left-wing opposition has recently been trying to bring down the government in collaboration with major media houses by seeking evidence of racism in the old writings of the Finns Party ministers.

One of the cases involved Minister of Finance Riikka Purra, who was claimed to have written about Turkish monkeys 15 years ago. The case was reported incorrectly because Purra had not referred to Turks in general as monkeys but rather to a specific Turkish man who had disturbed her dinner in a restaurant by staring and simultaneously digging his penis.

Surprisingly, Minister of Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen (National Coalition Party) apologized to the Turks without verifying the original text. The situation is almost comical, with the foreign minister apologizing to Turks for the reaction of a woman who was harassed by a disgustingly behaving man. Hopefully, the truth will one day come out for both the Turks and Finland's foreign minister.

Another recent incident concerned Purra's blog post from 2019, which was claimed to be racist in the Finnish press. However, this article was also reported incorrectly to the Finnish people because it explicitly advocated for Muslim women to have the same rights in Finland as Western women and was neither racist nor sexist.

As a result of these inaccurately reported writings, the left-wing opposition has demanded that the Parliament be called into session during the holiday period to discuss these matters. Parliament Chair Jussi Halla-aho (Finns Party) has promised to issue the invitation if any government party supports the demand, but the National Coalition Party, at least, is reluctant.

However, if the Parliament is called together, it is possible - or rather probable - that the Finnish government will collapse.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Finnish horror gallery and reality
The program of the new Finland´s Government is ready, and ministers are being selected
The Guardian misleads its readers

Racism or self-preservation instinct?

A young Algerian man who disobeyed a police order was killed by a bullet fired by a French police officer. As a result, violent riots broke out.

Regarding this matter, I have nothing else to say except that it would never occur to me to disobey a police order, even though I personally have no fear of being shot by the Finnish police if I were to disobey their commands. I cannot comment on the French police.

But let's return to the news article from the Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle that reported on this incident. It quotes the news agency Reuters, stating that "the incident has brought to the surface a long-standing debate about police violence and structural racism in France." The latter may be due to the fact that, according to Reuters, "since 2017, the majority of victims in such shooting cases have been black or of Arab descent."

Certainly, based on this information, the case can and should be investigated as a manifestation of racism. However, at the same time, it should be asked whether black or Arab individuals being shot is a result of their own behavior. Do they challenge police orders or engage in violence against the police more frequently than other population groups?

I do not know about France, but I wrote the following a couple of years ago: "African Americans account for 55.9 percent of all homicides in the USA. Whites account for 41.1 percent. As for the victims, 54.7 percent are black and 42.3 percent are white. These numbers can be compared, for example, to the proportion of African Americans in the entire U.S. population, which is about 13 percent."

If black or Arab individuals in France engage in violent crime to the same extent as African Americans, then the police's racially biased trigger-happiness may not be the underlying reason for them being caught in police gunfire; rather, it may be purely a matter of the police's self-preservation instinct.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Ayatollahs in Iran demonstrated their ridiculousness
Sweden already in trouble - Finland following
Riots in Sweden: what next?