Finland
The republic of Finland is a multi-party democratic state with a president
elected directly for a six-year term. President Martti Ahtisaari was elected
in 1994.
In the first general elections since 1991, Finland's Suomen Sosialidemokraattinen
Puolue (SSDP, Social Democratic Party) returned to power in March 1995,
following the parliamentary losses of former prime minister Esko Aho and
his centre-right government. The SSDP, led by Paavo Lipponen, emerged as
the largest parliamentary group with 28.3 per cent of the vote (63 of the
200 parliamentary seats), its best post-war performance. The diverse multi-party
coalition encompasses: Kansallinen Kokoomus (KOK, National Coalition Party),
the Svenska Folkpartiet (SFP, Swedish People's Party), the Vasemmistoliitto
(VL, Left Wing Alliance) and the Vihreä Liitto (Green Alliance).
Finland joined the European Union in January 1995, following a referendum
in October 1994.
Finland is now recovering from recession and is expected to fulfil the criteria
necessary for entry into European monetary union. In 1996, the unemployment
rate dropped to 16 per cent and the rate of inflation to 0.5 per cent. Gross
domestic product was above 4 per cent.
Jews in Finland were granted full civil rights in 1918. Antisemitism
appeared among far-right circles in the 1920s and 1930s, mainly in written
form, but there was no serious threat to Finnish Jewry. During the Second
World War, despite Finland's status as a Nazi ally, no anti-Jewish legislation
was enacted and Jews fought in the national army.
Minor threats have been made against the Jewish community when there have
been crises in the Middle East, although Finland's pro-Arab orientation
since the 1967 Six-Day War has in itself not affected Jews domestically.
Many Jews are involved in Finnish public life and their Jewishness has not
been an issue.
In 1975, antisemitic writings were published and distributed in Turku by
Pekka Siitoin (see PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA) and Antti Sipilä. Among
their publications were a Finnish translation of The Protocols of the
Elders of Zion , and the books Miksi Juutalainen menestyy (Why
does the Jew Succeed?) and Nationalisti pasuuna (The Nationalist
Horn). In 1977, the city court of Turku fined Pekka Siitoin and Antti Sipilä
for incitement to ethnic hatred and ordered that the publications be confiscated
and the print blocks destroyed.
The desecration in 1993 of 138 tombstones in the Jewish cemetery in Turku
was strongly condemned by the government and media.
Finland has comprehensive legal provisions to protect the rights and
customs of minority groups such as the Sami (Lapps). Sami language and culture
are supported financially by the government.
The number of refugees and asylum-seekers is small, as are other immigrant
populations. There were no incidents of discrimination against indigenous
peoples in 1996.
An assault on a black American in 1995 focused attention on racism and xenophobia
in the country. President Ahtisaari referred specifically to the dangers
of racism in his New Year's address to the nation. A ministerial group was
established to devise a government programme to combat racism; initial plans
included improved human rights training for police, and anti-discrimination
education.
In Finland there are no overtly antisemitic parties, but several parties
and other small groupings have displayed antisemitic and racist tendencies.
Such small groups are not generally known to the public and their influence
is marginal. There has been no growth of the skinhead movement and many
far-right groups have ceased to be active.
Kansallinen Radikaalipuolue (KRP, National Radical Party), known as the
Organization of National Unity before April 1991, was founded in 1985. It
has imported ideas from other countries in Europe, where intolerance towards
foreigners and asylum-seekers has been a feature of the resurgence of the
far right (although in Finland there has been little intolerance of asylum-seekers).
Tapio Linna, the leader of the organization, claimed a membership of 170
in 1993, and about 250 in 1996.
Mark Parland, the former editor of the Skullhead-Skinhead group's magazine
of the same name, formed a new white supremacist movement in 1995. Known
as the Blue-White Club, the group publishes the magazines Skullhead,
Totenkopf (Deadhead) and Sinivalkoinen ylpeys (The Pride of the
Blue-White).
In 1996 there were no antisemitic manifestations in Finland.
Siitoin, Linna and Parland (see HISTORICAL LEGACY and PARTIES, ORGANIZATIONS,
MOVEMENTS) continue to be the primary producers of antisemitic literature.
Siitoin operates from Naantali, Parland from Helsinki.
Parland published four issues of Sinivalkoinen ylpeys in 1996. The
publication has a very strong nationalist and antisemitic tone. In the April
1996 issue, Parland wrote that a university professor who is an active member
of the Jewish community and well known for minority-rights work was "the
number one threat to our white race".
In answer to a perceived growing threat of racism, in 1995 the Finnish
parliament passed a law against incitement to hatred against a national,
racial, ethnic or religious group. The penalty for incitement is a fine
or imprisonment for a maximum of two years. The previous law on incitement
had provided for a maximum period of imprisonment of one year.
During 1996, the debate over the practice of shekhita (Jewish religious
slaughter of animals) in Finland continued. Although a motion to pass a
law prohibiting shekhita (on animal rights grounds) was defeated in December
1995, thereby allowing the practice to continue in Finland (on the condition
that the slaughtering takes place simultaneously with a stunning blow),
parties opposed to shekhita were not satisfied. The debate has spanned
several years, became an election issue during the 1995 general election
and often took on an unpleasant tone, as the proponents of the ban (some
of whom were politicians) equated shekhita with female circumcision
and mutilation.
A variety of public and school-based events are organized in Finland
to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.
Seminars on antisemitism and exibitions dealing with the Holocaust were
arranged in 1996 in various parts of the country and attended by young audiences.
Finland's democratic culture is well developed, and although there are
a number of far-right groups, they are not well known, have marginal influence
and are not seen as a threat. There were no serious antisemitic incidents
in 1996. The minor incidents that did occur were taken seriously by the
police.
© JPR 1997