Finnish Politician Wants to ‘Fight Multiculturalism to the End’

PRAAG
August 7, 2015

A Finnish member of parliament has come under fire for a comment he made over the weekend decrying the “nightmare called multiculturalism” and rallying his compatriots to fight for “one true Finnish nation.”

The MP, Olli Immonen, is a member of the populist and nationalist Finns Party, which is part of the country’s governing coalition. In a posting on his Facebook page late Friday night, Immonen said he is “dreaming of a strong, brave nation that will defeat this nightmare called multiculturalism. This ugly bubble that our enemies live in, will soon enough burst into a million little pieces.”

“Our lives are entwined in a very harsh times [sic],” Immonen said. “These are the days, that will forever leave a mark on our nations [sic] future. I have strong belief in my fellow fighters. We will fight until the end for our homeland and one true Finnish nation. The victory will be ours.”

The Finns Party scored 17.7 percent of the vote in Finland’s election in April, making it the second biggest party in the Finnish parliament and earning it a place as a partner in the country’s governing coalition. The party has a strong anti-immigration stance.

Finland’s mainstream political leaders reacted with strong criticism of the remarks.

“I want to develop Finland as an open, linguistically and culturally international country,” tweeted Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipilä on Sunday afternoon. “I cannot accept Immonen’s remarks.

Finnish Finance Minister Alex Stubb tweeted: “Multiculturalism is an asset. That’s all I have to say.”

Immonen also attracted controversy in June when he posed for a photograph with members of a far-right group called the Finnish Resistance Movement. – politico.eu