Greta Thunberg and Renaz Ebrahimi in Search of Publicity

Swedish Greta Thunberg and her friends suffered a terrible setback just as they were about to once again set off to be turned back from Gaza. The gods of the winds, it seems, stirred up a strong gale over the Mediterranean, forcing the brave adventurers to return to their port of departure.

Thunberg and her companions have nevertheless decided to continue their journey once the wind dies down, setting sail for the much-suffering Gaza. Their intention there is to break the illegal blockade of Gaza and deliver essential aid to its civilians.

It remains to be seen how Greta’s brave warriors will fare: will they succeed in forcing Israel to do what neither Hamas nor Iran has achieved through violence, and what not even the UN itself managed through diplomacy? What is certain, in any case, is that today’s storm and their eventual arrival will provide them with very welcome publicity, which will surely flatter their egos.

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One of the participants on this expedition is Renaz Ebrahimi, a Finnish public figure. Her most successful performance to date took place during a Finnish TV broadcast (at 13:57), where she acted with Oscar-worthy rage after astronomer and science writer Esko Valtaoja unfortunately said: “For example, now this notorious N-word. It’s quite a different matter if it’s used by some member of parliament who talks – pardon me – about jumping little neekeri men, than if it’s Pippi Longstocking’s father, who happens to be the neekeri king.”

By way of background for my international readers: as recently as the 1990s, the Finnish word neekeri simply meant a dark-skinned person, without carrying the same connotation as the American word nigger. Of course, today that association has been forcibly imported from America, but even now, the older generation often uses the term without any negative intent.

So, it remains to be seen whether Renaz Ebrahimi will succeed in gaining as much publicity from her trip to Gaza as she did after the TV broadcast I linked above. What is already certain, however, is that she, Greta, and the other brave travelers will be diverted away from the coast of Gaza—most likely to an Israeli port, as happened on the previous occasion.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Greta Thunberg in Search of a Greater Thrill
Eco-Fascist Blackmail: Threats of Sabotage Loom Over the World Ski Championships
Impact of Diversity in Films

Finnish MEPs Saramo and Tynkkynen Engage in Social Media Clash Over Ukraine Support

Fresh Finnish Members of the European Parliament Jussi Saramo (GUE/NGL) and Sebastian Tynkkynen (ECR) have found themselves in a war of words on social media. It began when Tynkkynen stated that "yesterday, we voted in the European Parliament on a resolution regarding the need to continue EU support for Ukraine. The purpose was to renew the promise right at the start of the new term that the support will continue this term as well... The Left Group in the European Parliament had a different opinion. The majority of the group's MEPs did not vote in favor of the resolution."

Saramo responded to this with whataboutism, publishing a picture of Tynkkynen in Russia and a text saying, "Many have seen the attached picture of Sebastian Tynkkynen at a Putin propaganda camp in Russia. The picture was taken at a time when only the Finns Party in Finland admired Putin's authoritarian far-right regime."

Then came the surprise, as Tynkkynen admitted that he had indeed attended the camp, but he did so in cooperation with the Finnish Security Intelligence Service (Supo) to update its information on a Russian individual who also attended the camp. According to him, "It was an honor to serve my country in this way. Therefore, it is shameful that the left twists the matter the other way around - as if I had been working for Russia. Russia did not benefit from me in any way. The situation originally went quite the opposite."

It remains to be seen how the sparring between the two Finnish MEPs will continue. And whether the Finnish Security Intelligence Service will comment on Tynkkynen's claim - after all, it is generally known for not shedding much light on its operations to outsiders.

Aiempia ajatuksia samasta aihepiiristä:
Henna Virkkunen: Opportunist or Unsuitable Commissioner Candidate?
Marxist far-right and bullies
Challenges of democracy: Reflections on political violence and rhetoric in Finnish politics