Minister Purra is a prisoner of her own problems

The old Finnish folk saying goes: “Who wallows in their problems is a prisoner of them.” Kaarlo Kramsu coined it a while back. Politics can sometimes involve wallowing in problems, but those in power often have solutions too.

Unless, of course, you are one Minister of Finance, Riikka Purra (Finns).

Yesterday, Purra posted a nasty pair of racist messages on X (formerly Twitter):

"The country has a record number of unemployed foreigners. [---] The number has grown significantly this decade. In some major cities, there are more than ever before, according to Helsingin Sanomat. No surprise. Why should we keep bringing more of them into the country at an increasing pace?"

The devil is in the details of the message. “No surprise.” Just two words, yet they provide a telling glimpse into Minister Purra’s psyche. She outright expects foreigners to be unemployed.

Recently, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment released unemployment statistics. According to the data, Estonia, Ukraine, and Russia dominate as the top three countries of origin for unemployed foreign jobseekers in Finland.

The much-maligned "Middle Eastern countries" often targeted by Purra and her ideological allies, like Jussi Halla-aho, do not produce similar spikes in these statistics. Purra’s rhetoric however is spiked with thorns intended to hurt immigrant communities.

The worst part is that simply lamenting “bringing in unemployed foreigners” does nothing to support unemployed Iraqis, Albanians, or Russians in Finland. In a country where discrimination already makes life difficult for many, Purra's reprehensible comments are like salt to a wound. It’s baffling that someone chauffeured in a ministerial car has the audacity to be a poorly house-trained bigot instead of a bridge building problem solver.

The Minister of Finance wields considerable power. That power could be used for good and with wisdom—but no. Purra’s second message continued:

"Our system does not incentivize working in low-skilled jobs because social security (and immigration services, like integration courses) is preferable."

This is unfair oversimplification and senseless rhetoric. No solutions are offered, only questions raised: Does Purra want to scrap integration courses altogether? Don’t Ukrainian and Somali refugees deserve help adapting to life in Finland? Why does the minister spend time whining instead of solving real problems?

Eastern Finland has not always been the most tolerant corner of our country. It pains me that while our Ukrainian and Russian communities here need support to enter the workforce, a Finns Party minister is fueling xenophobia. It pains me that any applicant with an Arabic name faces disproportionately greater difficulty landing even a job interview. It pains me that in this country, it’s easier to shout down from ivory towers than to stand alongside those who have endured persecution, discrimination, and mistreatment for years—even decades.

Prime Minister Orpo’s “zero tolerance for racism” is being tested yet again. Purra’s comments not only mock unemployed foreigners but also perpetuate harmful stereotypes—and that, in my view, is unequivocally wrong.

Lauri Kaunisaho

Student, municipal councillor for Keitele, second vice chairperson of the council (Greens)

Keitele/Joensuu