Olli Immonen, a Finnish MP representing the populist The Finns party (previously The True Finns) recently published the following statement on his facebook page (presumably after a couple of stiff drinks):
“I’m dreaming of a strong, brave nation that will defeat the nightmare called multiculturalism. This ugly bubble that our enemies live in, will soon enough burst into a million little pieces. Our lives are entwined in very harsh times.
These are the days that will forever mark our nation’s future. I have a strong belief in my fellow fighters. We will fight until the end for our homeland and one true Finnish nation. The victory will be ours.”
While the leader of the Finns party and current Foreign Minister Timo Soini did not respond to Immonen’s violent statement other than expressing his dissatisfaction, saying that he is against violence, other Finnish politicians and Finnish society, as well as a large international audience, strongly condemn the statement.
Many of Immonen’s party fellows defended his act, saying that he has the right to do what he chooses on his free time, while most politicians see his behaviour as not befitting a Member of Parliament.
It has even been said that if this would have happened in Sweden, Immonen would have lost his position as an MP.
In Sweden, the opposition against the populist Sweden Democrats (SD) is much stronger than that against The Finns in Finland, but how long will this exclusion policy continue in Sweden, as SD will perhaps soon be the biggest party?
On July 28 over fifteen-thousand Finns rallied in Helsinki in support of multiculturalism, under the slogan:I have a dream.
Many immigrants were seen among the crowds, holding flags showing their original country and the new home country, Finland. In a message read out at the gathering in Helsinki, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö said the cohesion of the society does not mean making people similar, but understanding and respecting the culture of others.
Immonen’s statement can be seen as a strong attack against multiculturalism and an idealisation of a secluded nation state with one culture (and one language?) worth fighting for.
Then what is multiculturalism? According to Wikipedia, multiculturalism describes the existence, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultural traditions within a single jurisdiction, usually considered in terms of the culture associated with an ethnic group.
In my opinion, multiculturalism is also imbedded in original dialects, differences in character, original languages and traditions in different nations, not only in influences from immigration.
What is so special about the present political culture in the Nordic countries that make them easy prey to anti-immigration populist parties?
In Denmark, the right-wing Danish People’s Party recently won the biggest vote share in its history. This development continues a trend that began in Norway a couple of years ago.
Over the past 20 years, the Danish People’s Party, the Sweden Democrats, The Finns in Finland and Norway’s Progress Party have all increased their support in successive elections. Anti-immigration feelings among voters explain the surging popularity.
According to the Eurobarometer, a record number of citizens in Sweden and Denmark see immigration as one of the two most important issues facing their societies.
In Finland the share has diminished somewhat, because of the country’s present economic decline. When it comes to the demographic composition, Sweden and Finland are very different.
In Sweden in 2014, 53,503 applied for asylum and 31,220 were accepted. The corresponding figure in Finland is 3,706 and 1,346 accepted. Sweden has about 10-million inhabitants and Finland a little less than six million, but even so, the difference is remarkable.
Immigration today is a huge problem, especially in Europe, and here EU has a tremendous task in trying to find safe havens for those who really need it. Europe needs constructive suggestions and plans how to resolve the problem, not just populist attacks on “multiculturalism.”