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When Christian Democrats turn SM in Finland
by Thanos Kalamidas
2010-10-30 10:33:07 |
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 Please check carefully this photo and tell me what you think, is she into sadomasochism or is she Freddy Krueger’s lost sister? Ladies and gentlemen, the chairwoman of the Finnish Christian democrats Päivi Räsänen and as the magazine that interviewed her called her, the “liberals’ nemesis” you can simply call her democracy’s nemesis, it suits her better.
So Ms Päivi Räsänen gave an interview to a student’s magazine mainly supported and distributed from students of Helsinki University ‘Ylioppilaslehti’ saying a lot of “interesting” things and opinions but her best was and I quote with a little help from Google translate: “Finland can not take all the world's refugees. It would be wise to pick and choose those groups that are culturally and religiously adapt here, for example give priority to persecuted Christians. Even if they moved across Finland, in places like Southern Ostrobothnia and South Karelia, they can integrate quickly when they find a church community.” And finished saying “Muslims are greater risk and they can be led to radicalization.” I suppose in her mind (?) this is all about tolerance, understanding, pity and all the good things Christianity is about.
I have said it many times that in my mind (at least I have a working one) the separation between religion and people who like the etiquette ‘religious’ – Christians, Muslims, Jews or Buddhists - is obvious and I never confuse the one with the other. Actually even an atheist myself I have great respect to religions not only motivated from tolerance but because I really believe that in their preaching the sense of tolerance, respect and understanding is high. Knowing what I’m going to do is a sacrilege, but if I remember well and I hope I’m right – please correct me if you think that I’m wrong – John wrote in his gospel “for God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son”. John doesn’t talk about Christians and as far I understand it god didn’t send his son to serve a small minority or a selected élite but all the people. But for Ms Päivi Räsänen things are simple. If you are not Christian then you are doomed. It doesn’t matter if there is a war in your country or if they rape you, torture you and kill you. The only thing that matters is if you convert to the Finnish church. If you do then we can save you. Actually Ms Päivi Räsänen decides that she’s god, making choices dooming or saving people.
But Ms Päivi Räsänen is not new in this game; just weeks before her comments about gay people shook the country, thanks god she didn’t suggest to send them to concentration camps, you know “arbeit macht frei” and other similar slogans. Of course she mentions everything in the very same interview adding often that she’s proudly conservative. Well George Bush was conservative, Margaret Thatcher was conservative but Adolph Hitler was fascist and oddly he called himself a liberator and savour of the human race.
The last few months the extreme right, anti-immigrant and prejudice defined even by their name True Finns have seen their power increasing dramatically and according latest surveys they are reaching 14% making them a dangerous element in next year’s national election. Of course that has panicked the conservative parties and trying to prevent the damage – they don’t give a damn about the society and what an extreme right party in the government will mean, they only care for their seats – they turn more and more to the right often balancing in dangerous limits. The Christian democrats under the leadership of Päivi Räsänen are the ones who have managed better than any other party to win some points from that turn of the Finnish society and overwhelmed with their little victory they are pushing for more, moving all the time further right and to use Räsänen’s language ‘lead to radicalization.’
Hoping that she will wake up soon from her obvious intoxication from the few hundreds extra memberships her opinions brought to the party and she realizes that memberships of this kind are exactly the ones that do not glorify her, reminding her that her opinions are closer to a fascist than a conservative – I can never imagine Thatcher saying anything like that even privately – I like to add that giving an interview like that in a magazine that goes to young minds she did a grave mistake and if the lessons we give to the new generations are about discrimination and intolerance then this nation is doomed.
Ovi+politics Finlands_Ovi_Magazine Thanos_Kalamidas Ovi Finland |
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