Tag: hate speech

Whose hands are joined in the picture of our unofficial logo?

The joined hands in the picture below have become the unofficial logo of our NGO, Anti-Hate Crime Organisation Finland. Do those hands have a story to tell?

I met a man a few years ago who was distraught by what had happened to him during a visit to Poland. He visited a small town in the east of the country, where he was harassed by locals. When he complained to the police, they threatened to throw him in jail.

“Can I take a picture of you to go with the story?” I asked.

“No,” he responded. “I don’t want my picture taken because I fear for my safety.”

Real hands and that reveal a story that speaks volumes about Europe today.

Photo: Enrique Tessieri

* Anti-Hate Crime Organisation Finland was founded in September and registered as an NGO in October. The aim of the NGO is to tackle and eradicate hate crime and all forms of discrimination in Finland such as anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, Afrophobia, misogyny and other forms of social exclusion through education and training, seminars, events, conferences, among others.

STATEMENT: The killings in Germany are a warning to Finland and the rest of Europe

The killings that took place in Germany and which caused the murder of nine people at two hookah bars not only sends shock waves in Germany but to the rest of Europe. 

Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the gunman, whose murderous deeds were apparently fueled by far-right extremism.

She stated:

“However, most currently indicates that the perpetrator acted out of far-right, racist motives fueled by hate against people with different backgrounds, a different religion, or different appearance. Racism is poison. Hatred is poison.”

With the rise of parties like the Finns Party (PS) since 2011, minorities in Finland have also witnessed hate because they may be of a different religion or look different.

Demonizing groups like Muslims and labeling them as “an invasive species” by a PS MP or spreading fear about how white Finns will become a minority in their country is the same type of poison that Merkel warned.

Hatred against Muslims, people of color, Jews, and other visible minorities has not unfortunately subsided in Finland but picked up speed.

Even if we saw home-grown terrorist attacks against asylum reception centers and the rise of the far-right as a result of a large number of asylum seekers that came here in 2015, we should take what happened in Germany as a wake-up call.

ANTI-HATE CRIME ORGANISATION FINLAND

admin@nohatefinland.org

* Anti-Hate Crime Organisation Finland was founded in September and registered as an NGO in October. The aim of the NGO is to tackle and eradicate hate crime and all forms of discrimination in Finland such as anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, Afrophobia, misogyny and other forms of social exclusion through education and training, seminars, events, conferences, among others.