Neo-Nazism Is Thriving in Finland
On April 25, a group of Finnish neo-Nazis held their traditional international music festival in Jyväskylä, Finland’s seventh-largest city, inviting neo-Nazis from other countries to this annual event.
The Finnish authorities — some of whose representatives from the Finns Party (formerly the True Finns) are ideologically close to this movement — as well as the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (Supo), do not consider representatives of neo-Nazism and other far-right groups a threat to the country’s internal security.
Supo believes that intelligence monitoring of their activities serves as a sufficient control mechanism to prevent the development of ideas dangerous to the state and attempts to implement them, and that the right to choose one’s political orientation is guaranteed by the country’s constitution.
“The lesson of history is that no one learns.”
The same opinion was held by the secret police of Weimar Germany, whose agent Adolf Hitler was assigned to conduct surveillance of the German Workers’ Party in 1919. The party had fewer than 60 members and later became the nucleus of the NSDAP — the political party that in 1933 created the Nazi monster that conquered almost all of Europe by the summer of 1941.
Finland was one of the most loyal and significant allies of Hitler’s Germany from the summer of 1941 to the fall of 1944. Finland, however, retained its “democratic” façade (Hitler also came to power through democratic procedures), although in reality it was a typical dictatorship governed by a small group led by President Ryti and Marshal Mannerheim.
Finnish fascism, which emerged as the Lapua Movement in the late 1920s, modeled on Italian fascism, from which the Finns copied its rituals, was nevertheless original in its essential aspects.
It arose as a result of one of the shortest (January 27–May 15, 1918) and bloodiest civil wars in European history (approximately 38,000 dead out of a population of 3.1 million); several military campaigns in Soviet Russia in 1918–1919 with the goal of annexing Russian Karelia and the Kola Peninsula and creating a Greater Finland; and a vibrant, powerful hatred of the Reds, Russians, and Jews.
In today’s conditions, the far right in Finland has continued to target Russians, while immigrants, especially from Islamic countries, have been added to the hatred list.
As the text below — the first section of which deals with the nature of contemporary Finnish right-wing radicalism, including neo-Nazism — shows, the Finnish right does not constitute a unified whole. On the far left of the far right, so to speak, are the current Finnish government ministers with their hate speech on social media; on the far right is the Finnish branch of the Nordic Resistance Movement (banned by a Finnish court in 2017), which has moved from words to deeds, killing people.
Between these two poles — the well-groomed politicians with their xenophobic and anti-immigrant views, and the neo-Nazis willing to kill — swirls a vast sea of smaller groups united by shared ideas of Finnish superiority over all other nations, xenophobia, racism, Russophobia, and a latent but real Swedophobia and anti-Semitism.
Ideologically, however, the Finnish far-right forces form a coherent whole, differing only in details. This explains the resounding silence of the Finnish authorities, who ignore their sons of bitches, the neo-Nazis, since they share the same blood and the same views on societal problems.
Finnish Far-Right and “Neo-Nazism”
Urho Kekkonen, who took office as President of Finland on March 1, 1956, and held office until January 27, 1982, once said: “Far-right, patriotic popular movement, fascism, Nazism — a beautiful child has many names.”
In Finland, the term “right-wing radicalism” first appeared in an article on National Socialism in the magazine Suunta, edited by activist Kai Donner and his associates, in 1923. The article refers to the Freedom Party, which had been dissolved a little earlier and is described as right-wing radical. Hitler is also said to have been closely associated with it.
The Lapua Movement was also called an extremist movement in the 1930s — even in the speeches of its bourgeois opponents. In addition to Kekkonen, who represented the Farmers’ Union, the National Coalition Party leader K. N. Rantakari wrote in 1930 in the Finnish newspaper Uusimaa about the “right-wing extremist” striving for a military dictatorship.
At that time, “extreme right” could also refer to the right side of the political spectrum and even encompass the National Coalition Party without its particular value system. “Extreme right” in its current spelling only became established in the 1960s.
In the research literature, fascism, National Socialism, and especially so-called neo-Nazism have consistently been included in the far right.
This is because the core of these ideas has been seen to consist of militant nationalism that excludes foreign elements, emphasizing national traditions and rejecting the idea of equality that is part of the legacy of the French Revolution. Even the socialist tones included in the ideas serve a higher goal: the idea of national unity.
Finnish groups and actors have most often identified themselves with the right on the political map, or have considered the entire right-left division to be irrelevant in their own context, preferring to speak, for example, of nationalism or “white nationalism.”
Historically, Finnish interpretations have had their own special quality. Especially before the 1970s, the Security Police and later other authorities made a clear distinction between the far right and “neo-Nazism.”
The latter was considered an ideology prohibited by the Paris Peace Treaty, while far-rightism was interpreted only as strong patriotism and a spirit of national defense. To avoid legal consequences, Pekka Siitoin often used the term far-right instead of fascism or National Socialism.
In many anti-immigration movements, however, at least some elements are clearly present. It is noteworthy that there are many different single-issue movements among them — especially anti-Islam ones — that lack a comprehensive political vision at all.
The enemy is still most often the same: the liberal, tolerant “red-green” elite.
Various external and internal threats are strongly present, and equality between people is questioned without hesitation.
Even visions of a civil war that will soon break out appear on different sides. The Finnish Resistance Movement’s program even mentions a war to protect “northern freedom” and “blood heritage.”
In research, “right-wing radicalism” is often equated with “far right.” In Finland, there is no precise conceptual division between radicalism and extremist thinking. In Germany, on the other hand, according to the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, there is an essential difference, which may be useful when considering Finnish concepts as well.
In Germany, radical thinking refers to the radical nature of views within the framework of the constitution, and as such has its place in a pluralistic society.
Extremist thinking, on the other hand, goes against the foundations of the state order.
Neo-Nazis Love Music Too
The international neo-Nazi network organized a music event dedicated to Adolf Hitler’s birthday in Jyväskylä last weekend.
According to information from Yle’s investigative journalism program MOT, Blood & Honour has organized a concert at the Tapiola Youth Club for several years. The most recent event was scheduled for Saturday, April 25.
Blood & Honour is one of the most important and oldest international neo-Nazi networks. It takes its name from the slogan Blut und Ehre (“blood and honor”) used in Nazi Germany.
Blood & Honour can organize events in Finland because its operations are legal there. Germany, Great Britain, and Canada, for example, have banned it or frozen its assets.
Guests from All over Europe
The hall can accommodate over 200 people. Based on the pictures, neo-Nazis from all over Europe attended the concert last year. Guests included, for example, the Italian Veneto Fronte Skinheads group. Some of them have a history of serious crimes.
Banners supporting racism and fascism have also been displayed at the concert.
A party close to Blood & Honour wrote a blog post about last year’s concert. According to it, the police also visited the site several times but did not intervene.
According to MOT, a meeting of the various European branches of Blood & Honour was also held in Jyväskylä this weekend.
Screenshot from social media, where three people are posing in front of the camera.
They Sang about the Hanging of a Dark-Skinned Person
Blood & Honour is one of the most important and oldest neo-Nazi networks in Finland. It is especially active in the Jyväskylä region.
The key figure in the network in Finland is a construction entrepreneur in his fifties from Jyväskylä. According to MOT, he has rented Tapiola as a private individual in previous years and again this year.
The countries that have banned Blood & Honour consider the network to encourage terrorism, and consider music events to be part of this effort. At the Jyväskylä concert last year, a song was played that calls for the hanging of a Black person.
MOT asked the Blood & Honour member who rented Tapiola for an interview, but he did not respond.
The network uses the income it receives from music events to finance its operations. In addition to tickets, food, drinks, records, and clothing are sold at the events.
The end of April is a common time for neo-Nazis to organize big events. They are often scheduled for a Saturday close to the birthday of Nazi German leader Adolf Hitler — April 20.
Intolerant Insurrection Fest
This year, the closest to that was April 18, when neo-Nazis organized the Intolerant Insurrection Fest event in southern Finland. On the same day, a lecture on population change was organized in Helsinki by Suomen Sisu. In addition, an ethno-nationalist Awakening conference was organized on Sunday.
The venue used by Blood & Honour is owned by the Jyväskylä region youth association. It was awarded the youth association of the year last year.
The association rents Tapiola for various purposes. This week, the previous user of the premises before the neo-Nazis was a children’s ukulele group.
The chairman of the youth club, Tiina Mankonen, says that the club was not aware of the tenant’s background. Tenants are usually private individuals, and the club does not necessarily know what kind of events the premises are rented for.
Asked about last year’s event, where a song about the hanging of Black people was performed and a banner was displayed that read “Say no to the scumbags”:
“It doesn’t sound nice. All people of different races, so to speak, are welcome at the house.”
The youth club, however, does not intend to cancel the rental agreement made for the weekend with a representative of Blood & Honour.
“We need to clarify the rental terms with the government in more detail in the future.”
A Neo-Nazi Lair in Jyväskylä
A large light-colored building stands on a sand road on the outskirts of Jyväskylä. It stands out from the rest mainly because its windows are covered.
However, through the slits of the blinds, camouflage netting and a large red flag decorated with yellow oak leaves can be seen. There is a bus painted black in the yard.
This building is used as a meeting place by the international neo-Nazi Blood & Honour network. It has been active in Finland for a long time, specifically in the Jyväskylä area.
Among other things, the network organizes an international music event, which Yle reported on earlier on Friday.
A Nazi German war flag and the flag of the German air force, the Luftwaffe, hang from the ceiling. On the wall are portraits of Adolf Hitler and Rudolf Hess, deputy leader of the Nazi Party.
Members have also hung Arbeit macht frei signs on the walls. The slogan is particularly associated with the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, where an estimated one million people, mostly Jews, were murdered.
The clubhouse also has its own bar and, judging from the pictures, a large supply of alcohol.
The feeling of brotherhood is important to Blood & Honour. The walls of the clubhouse have objects honoring the memory of deceased members, and the Jyväskylä branch calls itself “Brotherhood.”
In addition to the clubhouse, Blood & Honour has also had a gig venue in the Jyväskylä region known as Ukkometso. However, major concerts in recent years have been organized in premises rented from local associations.
The Leader Threw Mud at Elokapina
According to MOT, the key person in Blood & Honour in Finland is a construction entrepreneur in his fifties from Jyväskylä. He organizes domestic music events and often visits network meetings abroad.
The entrepreneur has two criminal convictions in recent years. In 2020, he was convicted of assaulting a subordinate. According to the police investigation, he also threatened to crush his fingers with a hammer and pointed a handgun at him.
Two years later, he sprayed sludge water on Elokapina protesters. Some of the other people convicted in the same case have also been involved in Blood & Honour’s activities.
In the photos he posts on social media, the entrepreneur often poses with weapons. In addition to him, the local core group includes about twenty others. The entrepreneur did not respond to MOT’s request for comment.
Nazism Disguised as Music
“If it were not presented in the form of music, it would easily be considered incitement against a group of people,” says Tommi Kotonen, a researcher specializing in the far right from the University of Jyväskylä.
Jews, anti-fascists, and the media are also typically perceived as enemies in Blood & Honour’s activities.
Unlike the Active Clubs favored by younger neo-Nazis, Blood & Honour has not participated prominently in demonstrations in recent years. Nor has the Security Police specifically raised it in their threat assessments.
“They pretty much want to be on their own terms,” Kotonen says.
According to the BBC, Germany’s Blood & Honour has had close connections to a neo-Nazi group that has committed several murders in the country.
Source:
- Yle (in Finnish)
- Yle (in Finnish)
- Suomen Kuvalehti (in Finnish)
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