Politics on the Streets of Helsinki
It wasn't until I reached Helsinki on my birthday that I first found out how much of a hot topic immigration is shaping up to be in the Europe, especially the Nordic countries (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark). Fears over diluting culture and straining social programs have lead to far right-wing parties gaining a foothold in what are typically left-leaning countries.
7 months later, and the Finnish elections have given the "True Finns" party 19% of the seats compared with only 4% in 2007. Compared to the Tea Party (albeit only in some ways) making headlines in the USA after their last election, immigration is one of their main policies set for change.
From a recent BBC Article:
"They believe that a low birth rate is not solved by immigration, as that results in problems and foreigners do not fit into Finnish culture. Instead, young women should study less and spend more time giving birth to pure Finnish children. That is like a faint echo of Nazi ideology."
So these countries need more labour, and aren't having all that many children. Gotta get some skilled people to design all those Nokia phone somewhere...
Coming from Canada, where our immigration numbers are about a quarter million per year (the highest per capita in the world), it was a little strange for immigration to be seen in such a negative light as I've seen in this part of the world. That said, although it makes the news quite a bit, the majority of people I meet are appalled by the political swing this issue has taken in recent years.
My ancestors immigrated to Canada about 100 years ago. I guess that holds a bit of significance for my point of view. What does immigration mean to you?
Shot on September 20th, 2010
This image was was a runner up in a Matador Traveler's Notebook contest called "The Story in the Picture"
April 22, 2011
Reader Comments (6)
I think that, coming from Canada, our view is naturally that immigration is good...we live in a country built on immigration. But other, smaller, countries do have an identifiable culture that will be diluted by outsiders. I get that it might not be a case of 'we don't like you and think we're better' but more that they don't want to see their way of life extinct. It's interesting hearing other view points as we are very insulated from it in Canada. Cheers!
Hmm, as a woman and an immigrant, I don't think a party like that would ever get my vote. Don't these northern countries already have a strict immigration law? And why are immigrants always seen as a burden to their social programs? I'm sure they can pick and choose who they let in if the number of people wanting to immigrate there is huge.
Immigration is a super hot topic in the US. Both grandmothers on both sides immigrated to the US illegally and that is how I eventually got there so I am quite biased in the positive sides to immigration. My parents were both college educated and so were all their kids. After reading about how France was deporting all the gypsies (even ones of French origin) I realized that immigration is a hot topic everywhere.
The U.S. is also a country built on immigration and it's so sad to me that now there is this huge anti-immigrant sentiment here. It sort of feels like turning our backs on this huge part of our heritage! If it wasn't for immigration, I'd have been born in Eastern Europe and probably had a very different life!
That photo is so powerful.
I have nothing against immigration, after all the world's history is made by immigrants so why should we try and stop a natural process?
I am so pissed off when people in Italy/Europe freak out because of the north African immigrants, and they don't think that these people are just trying to escape some horrible situation, like in Lybia for example.
Hi Dustin!
This immigration thing really is a hot topic here in Finland. Why is that? Basic thing is that women dont make babies, they study and wanna have career. Simple as that. This means that when old people are going to pension there is not enough people to pay their expenses. So Finland need more people and fast.
But not just anybody. The main problem is that people who are coming aint that educated and dont speak finnish (well who does except Finns...). Finland is the most educated nation in EU (60% has university education). If you dont have a diploma you dont get a job. If you dont speak PERFECT finnish you dont get a job. But goverment pays them money anyway for nothing (people think) and this makes people angry. They are asking "why we are working then?"
Also Finland "system" was a very well oiled machine; everybody was wealthy. Now the immigrants are willing to work a lot cheaper -> competition -> people are angry again. "they are taking our jobs" and they did pretty much. Estonians and Russians are building our houses. Romanian gypsies are here and begging. I havent ever seen a begger in Finland till 2008 when Romanians gypsies come up here... They beg cause they wanna laso have a good easy life off course.
Everything seems to go strange, huge changes happening. Many men marry foreign girls cause they wanna have babies and foreign girls wanna have babies instead of career. More crimes happening cause some immigrant dont have money (Finland is the most expensive Euro country), more rasism for against Somalian (and other) refugees.
I dont know for sure how rest of the world is seeing Nordic countries but I think most of the natives who born in here see that "the welfare states of Nordic" is changing so fast and they dont know what is the result. They feel that its not going to be anymore as good as it used to be or something. What I see is I find most of the immigrants interesting. Its usually interesting to chat with them and to learn more about their culture, habbits, foods and so on. And they dont drink alcophol like crazy Finns :) Ive travelled about 70 countries and Ive seen pretty much life.
I want that Finns open their eyes and try to do more to help those people to adapt. Because its the only way, we need those people.