(HELSINKI) In Finland, the new legislation bill by the Minister of Immigration Astrid Thors has encountered a mixed reception in the Finnish Parliament on its introduction on Wednesday. The Finnish newspaper Aamulehti published an article about the bill, which has been prepared in unusual secrecy and could lead to the most liberal immigration policy in Europe if voted through. Finland’s most noted critic of the state’s immigration policy, Jussi Halla-aho, also a newly-elected member of the municipal council of Helsinki, wrote in his blog that the outcome of the bill could make it impossible to deport those asylum seekers who don’t meet the definition or have engaged in criminal activities.
The bill might have the effect of opening a back door for illegal immigration to the European Union. If passed as such, the bill would allow asylum seekers to enter Finland on very loosely defined bases.
Unto Valpas, a representative of the committee of administration, expressed his concern about the bill in Aamulehti’s interview, stating that Finland cannot become a gateway of illegal immigration into the EU.
The bill has raised a considerable amount of discussion in the Finnish blogosphere, mainly due to its secrecy. After Aamulehti broke the silence, concerned bloggers have let their voices be heard. The word of mouth about the subject on various discussion forums led to an online petition demanding that the bill to be reconsidered. It has been signed by over 8000 people in just two days. The silence regarding the bill by the biggest newspapers of Finland, such as Helsingin Sanomat, has raised questions about the sensitive nature of the subject and the tendency to political correctness on such matters, reminiscent of the days of Finlandization in the 1960s and ’70s.
Source: Jussi Halla-aho´s Guestbook.
Say “No”! to Astrid Thors and her legislation bill.
11.12.2008 at 3:40 ip
I’m an immigrant to Finland and have lived here for more than five years, but I fully support the right of the Finnish people to control the flow of people into Finland, because I have seen the damage that mass immigration has done elsewhere in Europe, especially in my own country, Britain.
The British, like the Finns, are a very generous and tolerant people, so generous and tolerant in fact that we have allowed unprecedented levels of immigration to change the very character of large parts of our nation. Birmingham, our second largest city, is set to become the first ethnic majority city in Europe very soon, and London will follow in a few years. Many parts of Britain are unrecognizable from a couple of generations ago. Some of the minority communities refuse to integrate or to accept British customs, and some ethnic neighbourhoods have become effective ‘no-go’ areas for native British people. Nobody knows how many of the immigrants are illegal – at least half a million, according to many estimates. The authorities have lost control of the situation, and their only ’solution’ is to offer amnesties to illegal immigrants which, of course, will only encourage millions more to come. The established political parties and the media are strangely quiet about these developments, telling us only about the wonderful ‘benefits’ of immigration and multiculturalism.
Here in Finland, the government tells you that more people are needed to combat a future labour shortage, but they don’t tell you that immigration creates additional demand for services, creating further labour shortages, and that the net economic benefits of mass immigration (as shown by a recent UK study) are near zero.
If Astrid Thors’ bill is defeated, Britain, France and other countries in the European Union will probably try to make Finland feel guilty for not adopting an open-door immigration policy. But my advice to Finland would be to learn from Britain’s mistakes, to secure your borders and maintain strict control over inward migration, so that your language, culture, prosperity and peace are not threatened and ultimately destroyed.
This is your country. It doesn’t belong to Astrid Thors, and it is not the property of the European Union. Citizens of every nation have the right to decide who can live there. There is nothing racist about this, it is a matter of defending hard won rights and freedoms, and protecting values and traditions that make each nation special and distinctive.
14.12.2008 at 1:39 ip
Ave,
I salute your story, you are talking wise things. It is absolutely the hard fact, that every nation has the right to decide, what to do with its borders and who are really needed as immigrants, if any.
Thus, Asstrid Thors has really treid to make a conspiracy behind our backs, and that is not acceptable. She is a traitor.
It is coming the payback day for sure.
Have nice Christmas time!
-P-
14.12.2008 at 8:33 ip
[...] all over the world our elected weaselsnakes must hide what they insist are popular actions under a cloak of secrecy… In Finland, the new legislation bill by the Minister of Immigration Astrid Thors has [...]
15.12.2008 at 4:27 ap
Astrid is a Swedish traitor! She should be sent to Aland to govern some potato patch.
For a small nation of 5 million to open the doors for ultra liberal immigration would spell DISASTER.
17.12.2008 at 1:31 ip
Merry Christmas to all in Finland, and don’t give up the fight to protect your beautiful country!