Helsinki Police Chief Jarmo Heinonen admittedly saw no risk for the situation in Finland to develop as in the US, citing various techniques employed to prevent risk to…
As the Black Lives Matter protests over the death of African American George Floyd at the hands of the US police have gripped Finland, reports of ethnic discrimination and racial profiling by the Finnish police have surfaced.
Aminkeng Alemanji, a postdoctoral researcher in social exclusion at Helsinki University, said that the death of George Floyd and the unrest it has stirred across the globe is a warning to Finland if racism and ethnic profiling are not addressed.
“Finland must wake up and do something before the situation gets out of hand”, Alemanji told national broadcaster Yle, adding that it would be beneficial for the police to recognise and acknowledge the issue of ethnic profiling.
Michaela Moua, a senior officer at the Office of the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman, suggested that this problem is being underreported in Finland.
“When discrimination or situations of ethnic profiling are not reported, the ombudsman does not get an overall picture of the scale of the problem. However, research conducted in Finland shows that ethnic profiling does happen”, Moua explained, adding that ethnic profiling has implications for both the individual and society.
