Sanctions against Israel, hate crime victims and money for making babies

Hello Insiders!

Autumn is always a busy time in Finnish politics, usually because of the budget process, and this year is no exception, with headlines fueled by some of the more extreme policies the government coalition has been proposing. I’ll jump into that a bit further down.

Also in this edition of the Finland Insider newsletter, there’s a new radio drama about Sanna Marin, sick dogs, cash for kids, and UN peacekeepers under fire from Israel - a country that most Finns want to see charged with war crimes.

All that’s still to come, but first this:

Insider originals

With less than 30 days to go before the US presidential election on 5 November, Democrats and Republicans in Finland are racing to sign up American nationals to make sure they can vote - with seven key ‘swing states’ in particular likely to be decided by the slimmest of margins. Read the full story here.

Inside the headlines

Crime. The National Bureau of Investigation says it has completed a preliminary investigation into Voislav Torden, a Russian neo-Nazi suspected of committing war crimes in Ukraine in 2014. Charges are expected to be brought within the next few weeks.

Indigenous. The United Nations has again criticised Finland for the way it infringes on the rights of Sámi people, the only recognised Indigenous group in the European Union. In a new decision, the UN’s Committee on the Rights of the Child found that Finland had granted mining permits in Sápmi, the traditional Sámi homeland area, without doing a proper impact assessment study, and without properly consulting the local Sámi community.

The case was brought by three young sisters who argued that their traditional way of life, especially reindeer herding, would be put at risk if the mining operations went ahead on their reindeer winter grazing land. There were some consultations, but the girls’ family was not included in some events even though the mining - for gold, copper and iron at 20 different locations across 390 hectares - would be happening directly on their grazing land.

Pets. More than 100 dogs got sick this week after eating Hau-Hau brand dog treats. The importer says it will reimburse any veterinary costs for treating sick pets.

Business. A new survey this week from the Federation of Finnish Enterprises Yrittäjät finds that almost half of small or medium-sized companies say their outlook has improved during autumn. Just 19% of companies said their situation was bad.

“The turnaround is at hand, which bodes well for many entrepreneurs across Finland. But the situation is still fragile, and we don't need bad news from the world," says Yrittäjät CEO Mikael Pentikäinen.

Hate. A new report published this week by the Police University College Polamk highlighted a rise in the number of suspected hate crimes in 2023 - capping a four year rise in numbers.

The report highlights that there were more suspected hate crimes against Jews or Judaism than suspected hate crimes against Christians in 2023, but the most common targets were Muslims which Polamk says “reflects the hate crime climate in Europe as a whole”.

The most common suspected hate crimes were defamation and assault, and the most common motive for suspected hate crimes was the ethnic or national background of the victim. The report found that a significant number of hate crime reports related to religious background, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and disability.

Babies. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health published its plan on Thursday to reverse Finland’s declining birth rate and one of the 20 measures really stood out: offering cash bonuses for having kids. More specifically, a financial incentive could be given to women under 30 having their first baby.

Food. Michelin-starred chef Jari Vesivalo has opened his first restaurant on Yrjönkatu in Helsinki. On the menu you’ll find such delicacies as fish sticks and baked apples. But don’t let that put you off!

Inside politics

Confidence. Opposition parties submitted a motion of no confidence Friday against the government’s plan to link pay raises with export success. They say the new model would adversely impact average wage earners, and people who work in female-dominated sectors.

“I am a nurse by profession and am really angry about the way this government is treating my former colleagues and many other low-paid workers, without whom this country would be unable to run," said Aino-Kaisa Pekkonen from the Left Alliance.

Defiant. Amongst all the huge cuts to arts, education, human rights defenders, foreign aid - the list goes on - the government has somehow managed to find a million euros to help build a shooting range near Oulu. And as Helsingin Sanomat previously reported, Finns Party MP Jenna Simula is on the board of the company doing the construction.

She hit the headlines in September for shouting “Can we get that in Arabic too?” while SDP leader Antti Lindtman was speaking in Swedish. The Speaker of the House, Jussi Halla-aho (Finns) has decried the increasingly uncivilised level of debates in parliament, with MPs talking over each other and making too much noise when other people speak. He had a meeting with parliamentary group representatives about being better behaved, but Jenna Simula is defiant, and says she will continue making verbal interjections during speeches when she is moved to do so…

Survivor. Finns Party minister Ville Tavio survived a vote of no-confidence this week in parliament by a margin of 99-74. The vote was called after it emerged that Tavio had pulled Finland out of a Ukraine reconstruction project which helped women and LGBTQ+ people, a move which drew a lot of criticism.

Immigrants. Helsingin Sanomat reports that officials at the Ministry of the Interior have been instructed to prepare the allocation of next year's refugee quota in such a way that no more quota refugees are taken from Muslim countries.

“I can't think for a moment that I've seen such a clear example of discrimination and racism as this kind of attempt to limit the share of Muslims in the refugee quota," said Green MP Fatim Diarra.

Radio. Public broadcaster Yle launched a new audio drama about Sanna Marin’s time in office as prime minister this week - and in the spirit of other great political dramas (like Borgen, The West Wing, and The Crown) some of the events actually happened, while a lot of the dialogue is completely fictional. They key is figuring out fact from fiction.

Finland international

Lebanon. Finland’s Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen (NCP) has said that Israel’s actions in southern Lebanon are “completely reprehensible and illegal” after Israeli forces fired at a second UN peacekeeping post, injuring two more personnel. Häkkänen confirmed on Friday that no Finnish peacekeeping troops were wounded - it is understood that soldiers from Sri Lanka and Indonesia were injured in the Israeli attacks.

Israel. A new survey from Fingo, the umbrella organisation for some 260 Finnish civil society organisations, finds a majority of Finns want economic sanctions on Israel and prosecution of the Israeli leadership for war crimes.

"In the light of the current survey, a foreign policy that strengthens Palestinian human rights and international law enjoys solid support in Finland. The findings suggest that Finns stand behind the promotion of these goals, even when compared strongly by European standards," says Fingo's Johannes Hautaviita.

NATO. President Stubb met the incoming NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte this week:

And finally…

Some perspective this week from Joel over at Very Finnish Problems on Instagram. He takes a look at the scale of Hurricane Milton which hit Florida and the southeast USA this week, and showed the vast area it covered on a map of Finland. Sobering stuff, but very interesting!

Thank you, kiitos, tack!

If you’ve made it this far, all the way to the end of the newsletter then thanks for your fortitude! Remember - if you have any feedback, if you have a story suggestion or scoop, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me directly [email protected] 

Next Friday I’ve got a look at calls to make ‘work from home’ a political right that everyone can take advantage of (depending on your job, of course!) as well as the usual news headlines and analysis. Until then have a great week!

David