The True Finns parliament member Teuvo Hakkarainen has told the evening tabloid newspaper Ilta-Sanomat that he would like to see all minorities moved to the Åland islands, the autonomous unilingual Swedish-speaking province between mainland Finland and Sweden.
In a telephone conversation with the newspaper, he noted that the Swedish People’s Party often criticise the True Finns for not showing consideration to minority groups. He said he’s like to see homosexuals and Somalis moved to Åland so that we could see “how such a model society could be developed. There Somalis could cry from their minarets and we can follow the developments from here”.
It will be interesting to see how his remarks are received by the party leadership. True Finns’ party chairman Timo Soini recently declared that his party “hates nobody” and has previously had to distance himself from the more obviously extreme comments from his party members. Can he really allow a person who believes in forced resettlement and the creation of ghettos to represent his party in Parliament? Another test of the truth in Soini’s repeated claims that his party is against discrimination and intolerance.
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Sunday 23.10.11 at 1:48
Timothy
One would think that statements like this would make a True Finn embarrassed.
Sunday 23.10.11 at 23:49
jokuvaan
At Saturday evening, tabloid paper called on Hakkarainen, asking how Hakkarainen likes to be a new gay icon in Finland etc. After that conversation ended. Hakkarainen soon called back to paper and told this somalis+gays -> Åland social experiment idea.
Now was this serious political suggestion and agenda? Of course not, it was an argument wrapped up in a humor that related to previous phone conversation. Then why do some take it very seriously? I do not have the answer to that. Same tabloid put on a poll asking, are Hakkarainen’s talks ok, about 50% said yes and 50% said no, 32 000 voters. Far exceeding the current party support of about 20%.
“It will be interesting to see how his remarks are received by the party leadership.”
Parliamentary group head already commented in phone that Hakkarainen seemed to be “in a funny mood”. Timo Soini, who is running for president said earlier that he will not be tricked into “game of commenting what fellow party members say”. So I’m not really expecting anything of this.
Monday 24.10.11 at 12:04
Jonas
Why do some take it seriously? Perhaps because it is completely unacceptable for a representative of the Finnish people, a member of our parliament, to be advocating to a newspaper the forced migration of minority groups in a style that is reminiscent of National Socialist crimes against similar groups during the 1930s and 40s. There is absolutely no humour in a parliament member stating this kind of thing to a media outlet.
That the party leadership think it can be explained away by humour or by avoiding answering the question just shows the true nature of the party; tolerant of discrimination. Soini even appears weak, unable to condemn a clear incident of hatred because he knows many of the people in his party are bigots and would support Hakkarainen’s idea. He knows if he were to rebuke Hakkarainen, he could hasten an internal split.
Monday 24.10.11 at 13:57
anonymous
Hakkarainen is a useless simpleton, but he really seems like someone who doesn’t respond well to being harassed. You get some tabloid headlines and manufactured outrage like this if you just annoy him enough with irrelevant questions, then goad him on and publish what you get out of context.
I’m pretty sure his party knows this and that’s why they have his back. If he really meant that in any meaningful way, the party would drop him immediately. Stupidity makes big news but at least it’s honest stupidity rather than pushing through a copyright law based on a lie or advocating satellite surveillance on cars.
I’m not a fan of True Finns in any other sense than the change they bring, but I think this really looks like the usual way the media responds to them. Other politicians are given the benefit of doubt – they may even be undeservedly praised – but it really looks like anything the True Finns say is interpreted the worst possible way. There’s no analysis, there’s just prejudice and pre-existing opinions and the seek for controversy. It looks like they’re out to get them, but what they don’t seem to understand that it just makes them look like martyrs and makes them more popular. Calling protest stupid without acknowledging it won’t make it go away. That’s one fifth of the country! People should be listening, not disparaging them.
No one believes that Hakkarainen a) meant that or b) would do anything about it if he did. In four years’ time he’ll either be out or be assimilated to the rest of the circus.
You’re better than this, I’m sure.
Monday 24.10.11 at 14:26
Jonas
I have no doubt that the man is not our most intelligent parliamentarian ever. However, he is an elected representative of the Finnish people for the True Finns’ party. That matters, it is significant. He is allowed to vote and speak on measures that affect society. He is not simply any old simpleton making these comments on his blog without any wider powers or responsibilities.
And why should I not believe that he meant it? Given his deficient intelligence and previous remarks, he may very well mean it for all I know. The fact that he can’t do anything to make it happen does not make it any less serious as a remark.
If the True Finns want to be taken seriously, if they want their assertions that they’re not discriminative to be given any credit, they would do something about this. They would exclude him from their party.
Do you seriously think that the other parties would tolerate one of the members of parliament advocating the forced population transfer of minority groups?
Monday 24.10.11 at 16:27
Anonymous
Hakkarainen’s outburst is predictable, he is an idiot redneck. The real scandal should be Timo Soini’s treatment of it. He’s clearly good with racists and homophobes in his parliamentary group. What a party, makes you proud to be Finnish that they can win so many seats in our country, doesn’t it!
Saturday 29.10.11 at 17:18
Prometo
why don’t you post my comments Jonas?
Saturday 29.10.11 at 18:39
Jonas
Your previous comment was just a long rant without any relevance to this post. Although, it was in fact WordPress that seems to have picked that up automatically, which is why it never appeared here. Clever, this new technology.