Pamphlet: Parliamentary parlance reflects fear and loathing towards immigrants

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Several Finnish politicians have for a long time pursued a ”very biased, narrow-minded, and prejudiced” manner of speaking, objecting to humanitarian immigration in particular and to an increase in the number of asylum-seekers.
     
This is the claim of freelance writer Jussi Förbom in a pamphlet published on Wednesday, for which he went through the minutes of Parliament since 1998.
      Förbom’s assumption had been that the parliamentary parlance particularly relating to asylum policy would have hardened and become more critical.
     
However, the minutes revealed that the language used in the chamber has been similar for quite some years.
      ”Fear and loathing towards foreigners have been expressed already over many years in the discussion club that is the most prestigious forum in the country”, Förbom notes.
     
Förbom charges that among those who represent the hard line are for example Ben Zyskowicz (National Coalition Party), Kari Rajamäki (SDP), and Raimo Vistbacka (True Finns). The booklet contains numerous examples of their statements.
      According to Ben Zyskowicz, who was present at the launch of the pamphlet, seeing matters as problems is a common style of parlance in Parliament, the purpose of which is to react to problems.
      Zyskowicz notes further that the number of debates has also increased mostly because the number of government bills relating to immigration and brought before Parliament is greater than before.
     
Zyskowicz also said that it is an MP’s duty to look at immigration from the Finnish perspective, not only from the angle of asylum-seekers.
      Förbom said that Parliament should also have discussions on fellow men and women who need help.
      ”MPs do not seem to realise that it is all about human beings, not about some remote ’asylum shoppers’ or ’anchor children’ as they are described in the more sensational terminology", Förbom says.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Foreign Minister Stubb defends immigration and multiculturalism (19.3.2010)
  Unexpected debate over quota refugees (25.2.2010)
  Centre Party taking tougher stance on immigration (23.9.2010)
  SDP lashes out at “extremes” in immigration debate (13.8.2010)
  SDP´s Heinäluoma criticised over comments on work-based immigration (26.4.2010)
  Thors: Deliberate deception in immigration debate (22.3.2010)

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