Monday, February 04, 2008

Racism in Finland

You get racists in all countries, but in Finland racists still think its OK to share their racism with everyone, presuming that most others agree with them. Fortunately not all of do, and some will even stand up and complain.

HS reports that after many complaints the Finnish media watchdog has rapped the knuckles of YLE, the state broadcaster, for the comments made by a regular guest on one of their news programmes. The person concerned, Ritva Santavuori, a retired prosecutor no less (which makes you wonder about the blindness of her justice) made idiotic comments about Barack Obama's grandmother. Before she goes accusing other people of being ugly and having "residual Negroid features", she should look in the mirror. With her dyed-red hair she had residual stupid features.

And good for the folk who took the time to write or phone in complaint.

5 comments:

hfb said...

Actually, someone should mention that she looks just like Heat Miser, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Heatmiser.png .

I think what is more disturbing is that this sort of thinking permeates schools and general daily life and few seem to really understand how repellent and wrong it is.

Toby - Northern Light Blog said...

LOL! That's uncanny!

What exactly is the Heatmiser though?

Anonymous said...

Hahahah, according to hs.fi she's been fired from the show!

http://www.hs.fi/artikkeliredirect/1135233802139

Anonymous said...

I missed this when it happened. Good riddance.

She apologised a week later but it wasn't really an apology. The video is on yle areena (if you understand finnish).

Martin-Éric said...

I'm afraid that removing her is barely scratching the surface. It's the whole system of justice in this country that needs to be weeded out of its racist and xenophobic elements.