Since 2014, the far right has been organizing demonstrations on the 6th of December, the Finnish Independence Day. This year the nazis of the Nordic Resistance Movement (NRM) are again planning to organize a national socialist demonstration in Helsinki, as they have done for the past three years. Later on the same day, the 612-demonstration gathers together all of,the Finnish far right, with NMR nazis marching side by side with members of the Finns Party. We are calling on all antifascists to come to Finland to oppose these far right demonstrations.
The Nordic Resistance Movement is active in all Nordic countries, and while the organization has been temporarily banned in Finland, the police has not taken any action to prevent them from organizing since the ban took effect in March this year. We can not depend on or wait for authorities to take action, we have to do it ourselves, together. The Finnish nazis have for years worked together with other far right actors for years, especially other nazis in the Nordics. We, too have to move and act beyond borders to oppose nazis trying to march in any country.
The global rise of the far right is not limited to nazis marching in streets. In the Finnish parliamentary elections in 2019, the Finns Party gained the second-most votes. The party has radicalized during the past decade, moving from right wing populism to the radical right or even outright fascism. This can be seen in the rascist tirades held in the Finnish Parliament, in the leadership referrencing fascist conspiracy theories such as that of “the Great Replacment” and the cooperative organizing of summer camps and demonstrations by MPs and party members together with the NRM nazis. In addition, the youth organization of the Finns Party has been taken over by a radical “ethnonationalist” wing. Their outspokenly racist statements made the youth organization loose governmental financial aid.
After five years, the participation in the fascist marches on Independence Day have declined, as have other street activity of the Finnish far right. Together we can bring this decline to its final conclusion. We will not rest before the far right has ceased all political activity in Finland and everywhere else. We hope that as many international comrades as possible will attend and participate in the antifascist march in Helsinki and to resist the far right’s attempt to march here in numerous ways. See you in the streets of Helsinki on the 6th Demcember!
Antifascist network Varis
P.s. We will publish more text about the coming Independence Day and also translate some old text into English in our webpage Variverkosto.com. You can find more information about the far-right and the struggle against them in Finland from the texts below:
Varis-verkosto
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