National campaign to make Finland “free from racism”

The Finnish government has launched the “Actions, not just words” campaign, calling on companies, organizations and associations to join the initiative to “build an equal Finland free from racism”.

It argues that racism is an “attitude and structure” of Finnish society and that “actors who want to bring about change cannot remain bystanders”.

It is primarily the alleged “structural racism” that must now be tackled once and for all, it says, and therefore it is important that companies, organizations and other actors “take practical measures within their own organizations” to achieve this.

– We need to build a Finland that is safe and equal for all. Politicians cannot do it alone, we need action from the whole of society. It is a long-term effort – Finland cannot be changed in an instant, said Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.

The focus of the campaign is that the fight against perceived racism is something everyone must commit to, and the goal is to “create a fairer society where everyone, regardless of background, is an equal part of Finnish society”.

‘Eliminating racism in public transport’

The Finnish government is actively involved in the campaign, promising to invest in more internal training and discussions to “raise awareness” of racism. It also promises “more anonymous recruitment in ministries and dialogues to promote the inclusion of different population groups”.

Other actors are involved, including the Helsinki Region Public Transport (HSL), which is investing heavily in “eradicating racism and harassment on public transport”.

“Racism is a systemic problem, which is either combated or reinforced by actions of different scale and by inaction, for example, by intervening or not intervening in language, recruitment, representation and by using different approaches”, it is further proclaimed, emphasizing that it is precisely the “racist structures” that “must be actively combated”.