The elections have opened the door to discussions on immigration — also those which were carried in rather harsh tones. It made visible manifestations of racism appear more acceptable.Children and teens are encountering more and more racist attitudes in their daily lives, now also in Eastern Finland.
According to researchers of the University of Eastern Finland that criticism against immigration has become more visible — and also more acceptable — after it played a prominent role in election campaigning.
According to researchers young people with immigrant backgrounds come across such expressions of racism increasingly often in their everyday lives.
Racism manifests mostly as caustic insults and physical violence, but there’s also discriminatory attitudes and ridicule. Verbal abuse on the street comes mostly from older people. Adults’ aggression against children or teenagers is not easily forgotten.
Recent discussions in Finland provide alarming evidence that racism has become more public, researcher Anne-Mari Souto from the University of Eastern Finland says.
Even though much is said in Finland about multiculturalism and appreciation of different cultures, these speeches do not always translate into action in everyday life.
Souto says that there is still much room for improvement in multicultural youth work. She notes that anti-racism projects are often launched in the sphere of immigrant work.
Is this racism is a phenomenon that needs to be handled also in solely Finnish circles?
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