Human rights groups call on Finland to tackle racism, discrimination

By Leila Nezirevic

LONDON (AA) – Human rights groups urged the Finnish government to introduce extensive legislative and policy measures aimed at eliminating Finland’s "system of structural racism," local media reported Monday.

A total of 33 organizations — including Amnesty, the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare, Save the Children Finland, and the Family Federation of Finland — issued a joint statement, calling on the government to tackle racism and discrimination.

Human rights groups argued that the government's own legislative proposals — outlined in its program for government published last year — as well as comments made by prominent members of the governing coalition are threatening to deepen structural racism in Finland, according to local media outlet Yle.

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo is scheduled to hold a round-table discussion with representatives from immigrant organizations on Monday to discuss how people from immigrant backgrounds might enter working life in Finland more easily, according to the outlet.

On Tuesday, the Finnish government revealed that it will be launching an anti-racism campaign after a series of far-right and racism scandals threatened to topple the governing coalition.

Last Summer, Finland's government was faced with months of accusations over racism after the media found online postings and articles by ministers from the Finns Party, a far-right member of the coalition, that were considered racist.

As a result, the government initially agreed on a policy last June to combat intolerance in the hope of preventing the collapse of the four-party, right-wing coalition consisting of the conservative National Coalition Party, Christian Democrats, Swedish People’s Party, and the controversial far-right Finns Party.

In a 2019 report, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), the Council of Europe’s independent rights watchdog, warned that “racist and intolerant hate speech in public discourse is escalating” in Finland.

It said the “main targets are asylum seekers and Muslims.”

The authors of the report warned that racist and abusive language is “commonplace” online among Finnish youth, while also pointing out a rise in its use in political discourse.

It also said the response by Finnish authorities to incidents of racism “cannot be considered fully adequate.”

According to the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights’ 2018 report, discrimination against the Black community is the most common in Finland, out of the 12 member states studied.

In 2022, Amnesty International highlighted the seriousness of the situation and urged for “action to end structural racism in Finland.”