People took part in a demonstration calling for an end to far-right violence in Helsinki on 20 June 2024. The Finnish government’s draft action plan for combating racism and promoting equality has been welcomed as a small step in the right direction, albeit one that falls short in terms of concrete action and several minority groups. (Vesa Moilanen – Lehtikuva)
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THE GOVERNMENT of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s (NCP) draft action plan for combating racism and promoting equality received plenty of criticism during the public consultation round that ended on 10 June, reports Helsingin Sanomat.
Many of the institutions and organisations that commented on the draft plan described it as a step in the right direction, albeit one that all but neglects some minority groups.
Islamophobia, for example, is not recognised as a form of racism in the draft plan judging by the lack of measures set forth to combat it, estimated the Finnish Muslim Forum. This, the forum argued, is an indication that the government has not recognised the phenomenon as a societal problem or is reluctant to recognise its existence.
Antigypsyism is similarly not mentioned in the plan, observed the Finnish Roma Association.
The government dedicated an entire section on combating antisemitism, a problem that was identified as important in many of the comments. The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), though, was one of several organisations that gauged that the section was asymmetric in light of the attention expended to other minority groups.
“In the three-year action plan, 1.2 million euros, meaning almost a fifth of the total budget, has been allocated for a single minority group,” wrote THL.
The government justified the emphasis by citing a recommendation issued by the European Commission.
The Ombudsman for Equality estimated that the draft plan fails to forward measures to combat structural discrimination, a covert form of discrimination that is manifested in, for example, hiring processes.
Most of the measures set forth in the plan deal with organising events and training seminars, producing assessments and reports, and supporting existing stakeholders such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Concerning the Sámi People. The City of Oulu reminded that the effectiveness of campaigns and trainings has been shown to be limited, and that there should be no shortage of research data on racism.
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
