Vandals of Tampere’s Mannerheim Statue Reveal Their Ignorance

In Tampere, Finland, a statue of Marshal Carl Gustaf Mannerheim—who led the White forces in the Finnish Civil War of 1918 and served as Commander-in-Chief of the Finnish Army during World War II—was erected in 1956. The statue was created by Evert Porila before the Winter War and placed at a location from which Mannerheim himself observed the decisive battles of the Red uprising in 1918. The statue and its surroundings are impressive, and the historical insight behind its placement is excellent. I recommend visiting it to everyone traveling in Finland, as well as to our own citizens.

Iltalehti reported that this statue had—apparently two nights ago—been vandalized with red paint. Writings had been scrawled on the base and side of the statue, which shows poor judgment ability.

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For these vandals, it would be instructive to watch the film “The Eternal Road” (Ikitie), available on the Finnish Broadcasting Company’s Areena service. The film, directed by Antti-Jussi Annala and based on a novel by Antti Tuuri, might help them understand the kind of fate from which the victory of Mannerheim’s White Army spared their grandparents and their ancestors. A “Red Finland” would most likely have been annexed to the Soviet Union, much like Ukraine, which went on to suffer the horrors of the Holodomor.

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Still, every cloud has a silver lining. The Red uprising led to the development of a very strong executive branch within Finland’s democracy—something highly exceptional compared to other European states that gained independence after World War I.

Thanks to its strong executive power, Finland remained a democracy while many other post–World War I democracies—where parliamentary power was emphasized—drifted into right-wing dictatorships. Things were different here under the North Star: communists were banned, and the far-right Lapua Movement remained a historical curiosity.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Politics in Brigitte Bardot’s Obituary on Finland’s Public Broadcaster Yle
Demonstration Demonstrated the Selfishness of the Demonstrators
History of Finland XII: Bloody civil war

Russia’s Shadow Fleet Exposes Gaps in International Law

A ship that had been dragging its anchor – Fitburg – damaged a cable running along the seabed of the Gulf of Finland yesterday. The Finnish Border Guard acted with its customary efficiency, documented the dangling anchor with photographs, and took the vessel into custody.

The case will next proceed to a more detailed investigation and, in due course, undoubtedly to court. This in itself sounds good, but I would like to draw your attention, dear readers, to what happened last October.

At that time, the Helsinki District Court announced that it would not examine the charges – in a similar case – against the vessel Eagle S, which belongs to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, nor the compensation claims based on those charges. The court held that Finland’s Criminal Code could not be applied to the case.

The matter was commented on at the time by Member of Parliament Jarno Limnéll (National Coalition Party), who stated that “clearer legislation and international agreements are needed that give states the ability to deal with acts of this kind also in exclusive economic zones and international waters.” However, no such measures have emerged during the past couple of months.

For this reason, it seems clear to me that the Fitburg incident – quite evidently a cable sabotage operation ordered by Russia – is, logically speaking, a consequence of the Helsinki District Court’s decision and the shortcomings of international legislation. It is obvious that if breaking cables carries no consequences, Putin’s administration can continue sabotaging them without concern.

It is therefore easy to predict that cables running along the seabed of the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea will continue to be damaged – so to speak, “by accident” – in the future. And this will likely continue until the necessary provisions are enacted in international law, despite the expected opposition from Russia and its proxies.

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If one wishes to see something positive in the Fitburg case, it is undoubtedly the efficiency of the actions taken by the Finnish authorities. The cable damage was investigated quickly, and the perpetrator was also stopped.

Because of the legislative problem mentioned above, the only sanction available against the ship’s owner and/or crew will likely be to look for deficiencies in the vessel’s condition, thereby delaying its departure. In this way, the crew would at least be forced to loiter for a while off the coast of Kirkkonummi.

It would be interesting to know whether the shipowner and/or its crew have made an agreement with Vladimir Putin’s administration regarding compensation for those days in rubles or in some stronger currency. The exchange rate of the ruble has recently been in a decline reminiscent of that famous cow’s tail, so the value of days compensated in Russian currency decreases over time.

In any case, any deficiencies found on the vessel must be investigated before it is allowed to leave Finnish territorial waters. And, of course, even the smallest faults discovered on the ship should be required to be carefully repaired before departure clearance is granted – to the vessel and its crew alike.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Is Cable Cutting a Crime Without Punishment?
Sabotage in the Baltic Sea Sparks Calls for New Maritime Borders
Finland Detains Russia-Linked Ship Suspected of Cable Damage

The original blogpost in Finnish:
Kansainvälinen lainsäädäntö kannusti Fitburgin kaapelisabotaasiin

Is Cable Cutting a Crime Without Punishment?

Finland detained a vessel named Eagle S, which had dragged its anchor across the seabed and damaged submarine cables in the Baltic Sea. The investigation took some time, after which the evidence was submitted to a Finnish district court, i.e., the lowest judicial instance.

Instead of assessing the criminal liability of the act and delivering a verdict to those found guilty, the district court ruled that it had no jurisdiction to decide in such a criminal case. Therefore, the matter should be dealt with either in the courts of the crew’s home countries or in the courts of the flag state of the Eagle S. In other words, the case would fall under the jurisdiction of the Cook Islands, Georgia, or India.

However, Professor Ulla Tapaninen, a maritime transport expert at Tallinn University of Technology, has noted that “district courts often prefer to move complex cases up to higher judicial levels.” For this reason, she argues it is reasonable that the Eagle S case would be escalated from the district court to the court of appeal, which is one step higher in the judicial hierarchy.

In other words, the Finnish professor at the Estonian university assumes that the legal proceedings will continue in Finland. This raises the question: if that happens, will the court of appeal consider itself competent—contrary to the district court’s conclusion—to convict the crew of the Eagle S?

And if that is the case, who will bear the costs? The Finnish taxpayer, who has already been burdened with bills amounting to hundreds of thousands of euros?

And what would happen after such a farce? Would the case then be transferred to the courts of the Cook Islands, Georgia, or India—or would the legal consequences of the damage caused by the Eagle S to the submarine cables ultimately remain unaddressed?

And furthermore, if that is the case, does it mean that in the future the submarine cables running along the seabed of the Baltic Sea and other seas may be cut at will and without consequences?

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Did Russia Realize the Risk Was Too Great?
Sabotage in the Baltic Sea Sparks Calls for New Maritime Borders
Finland Detains Russia-Linked Ship Suspected of Cable Damage

How Extremist Activists Endanger Hunters in Finland

Finland has a very large population of cervids, such as moose and deer. Due to their large numbers, they cause significant damage by destroying young forest plantations and causing traffic accidents. On the other hand, they provide hunters with both a hobby and food.

The balance of this whole system is overseen by the Finnish Wildlife Agency, which grants hunting permits for cervid species in such a way that each population remains viable and healthy. At the same time, attention is also paid to ensuring that predator populations—especially wolves—remain strong and safe for people, so that they do not need to hunt humans moving in nature due to lack of food. Wolves have not generally been hunted in Finland in this millennium, except for individuals that have threatened humans or specialized in attacking livestock.

This equation seems to be too difficult to grasp for those belonging to the Animal Liberation Front. That is why they have made hunting towers used by hunters dangerously unsafe by sawing them.

The police are currently investigating these crimes and searching for the perpetrators. According to Member of Parliament Sanna Antikainen (Finns Party), it would be important that the police and prosecutors treat these acts as endangerment of life rather than mere vandalism. This wish is worth supporting, so that various political activist groups, which are resorting to increasingly harsh measures, would be made to comply with the law and avoid endangering other people.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Demonstration Demonstrated the Selfishness of the Demonstrators
Organized Vandalism in Helsinki, Finland
Greta Thunberg in Search of a Greater Thrill

Eco-Fascist Blackmail: Threats of Sabotage Loom Over the World Ski Championships

Norwegian eco-fascists are planning to disrupt the so-called "king’s race" of the Trondheim World Championships, the 50-kilometer ski race. The threat is serious, as these so-called activists have previously attempted to sabotage ski competitions.

The group behind the threat, Folk mot fossilmakta, has stated that they will cause disturbances unless their two conditions are met. These conditions are as follows:

1. All visible logos and advertisements from fossil fuel companies must be removed.
2. A short informational video about the treaty to stop the spread of fossil fuels must be played on large screens throughout the entire World Championships.

In other words, this is not just a demand—Folk mot fossilmakta has made a "Godfather-style offer you can’t refuse." They are blackmailing the organizers of the World Championships, threatening to destroy them—or in this case, the competition that both the organizers and the world’s best skiers have painstakingly and expensively prepared for.

It remains to be seen how the organizers of the World Championships will respond to this extortion. The easiest option for them would, of course, be to comply with the demands and fulfill the wishes of the eco-fascists. However, the problem with such an approach is that giving in to this kind of mafia-like behavior would grant it significant visibility—leading to even more similar threats in various events for increasingly bizarre reasons in the future.

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The organizers’ headaches are further compounded by the fact that the "king’s race" in cross-country skiing is set to take place on a long 8.3-kilometer course, making it nearly impossible to guard completely. This remains true even though the eco-fascists will most likely try to maximize their visibility by staging their attack near TV cameras.

This is because, in mass start races, cameras are positioned to capture the entire course, meaning that sabotage can be carried out virtually anywhere. And the situation is further complicated by the fact that the 50-kilometer races are held twice in Trondheim—once for men and once for women.

It remains to be seen how the International Ski Federation and the Norwegian organizers will respond to the eco-fascist mafia’s threat. Will they give in to the blackmail to ensure that the competition doesn’t turn into a disaster? Or will they trust that law enforcement—ultimately responsible for maintaining order in the kingdom—will prevent Folk mot fossilmakta from disrupting the event?

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In the long run, if the eco-fascists succeed in their sabotage or if their demands are met, it would encourage similar demands and disruptions in the future. And not just in sports competitions, but in all kinds of events where visibility can be gained by disturbing large crowds or causing other forms of damage.

That’s why it would be ideal if Norwegian society ensured that the blackmailers had no opportunity to interpret the events during the World Championships to their advantage. In other words: 1. Prevent sabotage, 2. Ensure that any attempted disruption receives no more media coverage than a brief mention. 3. Above all, make sure that such actions are not portrayed in a positive light.

In short, it should be made clear that a so-called "offer you can’t refuse" has no place in modern times—and that resorting to such tactics will not advance any cause.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
The Relationship Between the Professor and Teemu Selänne
The activists sought excitement and a boost to their self-esteem in the Stockholm Diamond League
A young woman skiing in a swimsuit caused a controversy among women

Sabotage in the Baltic Sea Sparks Calls for New Maritime Borders

The Baltic Sea has risen to the center of global politics after acts of sabotage targeted its underwater infrastructure. As a result, Finnish authorities stopped an oil tanker and conducted an inspection, which revealed that the vessel required repairs before it could continue its journey.

The perpetrator of the sabotage is officially unknown, but there is near-unanimous consensus that Russia and Vladimir Putin are behind it. In other words, this is part of Putin's hybrid warfare against Western nations.

It was therefore intriguing when Finnish international politics researcher Risto E. J. Penttilä raised the idea that Finland and Estonia could divide the international waters of the Baltic Sea between themselves. In other words, these countries would agree on a border line such that their boundaries would meet directly, leaving no international waters in between.

The aim would not be to hinder maritime traffic to Russia’s ports at the far end of the Gulf of Finland, but rather to significantly improve the ability to monitor vessels in what would become national waters instead of international waters. This would make it easier to repeatedly catch ships involved in potential sabotage.

It remains to be seen whether Penttilä's proposal will lead to changes, as Russia would almost certainly oppose it. In doing so, Russia would inadvertently confirm its involvement in the sabotage and its intention to continue such actions in the future.

However, Russia is unlikely to refrain from such activities, no matter how much embarrassment they cause. This is because the country lacks a free press and freedom of speech, meaning that its citizens would have no understanding of the fact that Putin’s regime is once again making their nation a subject of ridicule.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Finland Detains Russia-Linked Ship Suspected of Cable Damage
Nordic Nations Unite Against the Growing Threat of Cross-Border Organized Crime
Military confrontation between China and USA highly probable in near future

Vladimir Putin is Leading Russia into an Economic Ruin

Finland's Minister of the Interior, Lulu Ranne (Finns Party), stated that there are clear indications of sabotage organized by Russia in Finland, even though there is no conclusive evidence. However, there are circumstantial signs of Russia's involvement, such as breaches in Finland's water supply systems.

That said, Finns have no need to worry, as the country's authorities are prepared for a wide range of threats. Additionally, the police have been strengthened to face and counter armed attacks, which might target the police rather than soldiers.

Such attacks could include terrorist strikes or sabotage organized by Russia. To combat these and other destructive actions, Finland's police have acquired armored vehicles since the mid-2010s.

It is unfortunate that Putin's Russia has proven to be an unfit neighbor, acting in international relations like a pig in its pen. As a result, it misses out on the benefits that international trade and cooperation could offer—and once did offer during the Soviet era.

At that time, as much as a quarter of Finland's foreign trade was conducted with the Soviet Union. And in the later stages, when socialist technology fell behind that of the West, oil and other raw materials were used as “currency” to purchase Finnish technological products. These resources were then refined in Finland and sold on the international market.

However, those good times are now over, and Vladimir Putin is leading his country deeper into economic ruin. As a result, he will eventually be ousted from his position as one of the world's leaders—sooner or later.

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Finally, a slightly different matter. I was very pleased today when I noticed that, despite his efforts, Putin failed to prevent Moldova from aligning itself more closely with a free Europe.

I am, of course, referring to the referendum on whether Moldova's constitution should include a commitment to seeking membership in the European Union. At the time of writing, it has become clear that this will happen, albeit with only a small majority of votes. This is yet another defeat for Putin on his and Russia's path to destruction.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Russia Pays the Price for Its Foolishness
Russian Tax Overhaul: Citizens to Bear the Burden of War Losses
History of Finland XV: Paasikivi-Kekkonen doctrine