Finland will go to the polls on Sunday, June 13, to vote in the local elections after a campaign that has shown the country’s growing political polarization.
According to a specialist in contemporary culture at the University of Jyväskylä, the atmosphere full of this election campaign, especially in relation to online hate speech, is at a level not previously stated. Tuija Saresma.
"I feel that the right-wing populist actors have deliberately aggravated others, and such a campaign has not been typical of Finland before, so I think something new is happening," Saresma told APN.
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Saresma added that vitriol is not limited to online space, but it is increasingly visible on the streets as well. The destruction or destruction of political party posters has been a feature of this campaign. Nevertheless, the offices of the Left Alliance and the Greens were tainted with offensive slogans and symbols in both Oulu and Pori.
"It is definitely spreading from the network to the streets and these phenomena are indeed interconnected. I would say that hate speech is violence in itself at first, but it also paves the way for physical violence," Saresma said and added that the term is widely used "verbal violence" instead of hate speech would help people better understand the concept and its implications.
Local or national
Despite the local elections, AFP correspondent in Helsinki, Sam Kingsley, said many voters may also have national issues in mind when voting on Sunday.
"Many of the things that people vote for are about planning, health and transport, etc. in their area," Kingsley said. "But, of course, one cannot avoid having some part of the vote that will be popular Sanna MarinSDP governing coalition."
All Points North’s in-depth interviews with the leaders of all Finnish political parties before the June 13 elections are available at Yle Areena.
_Check if you can vote at canivote. We have put together a really simple guide to the Finnish local elections, and you can also get acquainted with our English-language election compass here.
“I look forward to my whole life”
Finland Owls, or Eagle-Owls, the football team will appear for the first time in history in a grand final tournament when they play against Denmark at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen on Saturday night.
The Danish authorities have decided that a third of the stadium’s capacity can be used for the game, so a few hundred supporters plan to make the trip from Finland, including husband and wife. Noor and Hanna Jamal.
"I don’t miss this," Hanna Jamal told APN. "I did whatever it took to get there and experience the moment I have personally been waiting for all my life."
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This week’s presentation was presented by Ronan Browne and Zena Iovino. It produced Mark B.Odomand the sound engineer was Anttoni Wikström.
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