Govt´s stiffening immigration policy protested in Helsinki

Several hundreds of people went on demonstrations in Helsinki on Friday afternoon in protest at the move of the four-party alliance right wing government, led by the Kansallinen Kokoomus (National Coalition Party-NCP), of tightening the immigration policy.

The protesters marched in a procession from the Senate Square about 3:00pm to the Parliament House to round off the even with a rally.

Protesters carrying drums and holding banners and festoons shouted slogans such as “Migrants rights are humans rights”, “Same taxes. Same treatment” and “No justice. No peace”.

Speakers at the rally that the African Anti-Racism Society Finland, IWWOF (International Working women of Finland), Specialist in Finland, Diaspora Glitz Magazine and Suomen Kurdit organized, demanded an immediate end to the ill motive of the government to make rules difficult for immigrants.

“Participants collectively demanded a policy shift. They advocated a more inclusive, equitable and forward-thinking approach that values immigrants as contributors to society and fosters a diverse, prosperous Finland,” a press release that the organizers issued said.

They also held the government responsible for undermining rights of the immigrants by framing such inhuman policy, which will not only affect immigrants but also be harmful for Finland where the birth rate is lower than the death rate.

“The Finnish government treats immigrants as second-class citizens, generating unequal treatment of and creating barriers to immigrants,” said Lucia Vuillermin, director of operations at the IWWOF.

“We advocate equal taxation and equal rights. Immigrants are expected to contribute to the economy by paying the same taxes as Finnish citizens do. Yet, the proposed policy introduces differences in their entitlement to social security and benefits compared with permanent residents,” she said.

The speakers criticised the new immigration policies as they do not recognize the fundamental principles of equality, justice and inclusivity.

“The proposed policies fail to recognize fundamental principles of equality, justice, and inclusivity. They treat immigrants as mere labour market tools rather than human beings, perpetuating a sense of mistrust and scapegoating,” the release siad.

“We believe that fair and inclusive policies are essential for creating a thriving and harmonious society that benefits everyone, regardless of their background or origin,” Lucia Vuillermin said.

Lengthening residency requirements for citizenship and permanent residency, coupled with stringent requisites such as language proficiency and income-level requirements, create unnecessary barriers and hinder the full integration of immigrants, the speakers said, warning that the protest would continue unless the government would stop the anti-immigration moves.

Earlier on June 16, leaders of the parties announced the programme, which included tougher immigration, residence and citizenship laws.

According to the programme, Finland’s annual refugee quota will be reduced to 500 people from the existing 1,050.

The government will amend the requirements to obtain a permanent residence permit and citizenship in future and it will be possible to obtain a permanent residence permit based on six years of residence subject to certain requirements in addition to the current requirements.

The additional requirements are sufficient language skills demonstrated in a language test, a two-year work history without recourse to unemployment security or social assistance other than for a very short period, and a stricter integrity requirement.

Rejected asylum applicants will be prevented from switching to a work-related immigration procedure. It will be possible to remove a person refused asylum from the country even if they have obtained a job during the asylum process.

The income limit for a residence permit for an employed person will be raised to sector-specific minimums of the collective agreement, but to no less than 1,600 euros a month.

Three other components of the alliance government are radical rightist Perussuomalaiset (Finns Party), Suomenruotsalainenkansanpuolue (Swedish People’s Party of Finland-RKP) and SuomenKristillisdemokraatit (Christian Democrats of Finland-CD).

Earlier, separate demonstrations were held in Helsinki on June 27 and June 18 protesting against the immigration policy taken by the government.