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Finland: Somali imprisoned after fight

01 January 1991

Finland: Somali imprisoned after fight
artdoc June=1993

A fight between ten Finnish and ten Somali youth in Joensuu in
February has led to the prosecution of one person: a Somali who
allegedly used a knife during the fight and has been jailed for
one year.
During the court case, it emerged that Somalis had been
regularly threatened and abused in Joensuu. And the Somali who
was imprisoned, had also been threatened at his home.
During the trial, a group of fifteen Finns gathered at the
court room. When the Somali youth attempted to give his
statement, the Finns started shouting in an attempt to drown out
his statement (Karjalainen 16.4.93).

More racist attacks in Joensuu
More evidence of planned attacks on non-white people in Joensuu
is emerging. In May, two Bangladeshi students were stabbed with
knives and now police are investigating six young Finns. Before
this, many Somalis had appeared to the police for protection
against racial violence.
Now `Kill Somali posters' have been distributed in the schools
and streets of Joensuu. The police have staged an investigation
having discovered that young people were being recruited for a
racist attack against Somalis (Karjalainen 24.3.93, 7.5.93).

IRR European Race Audit no 4 1993. Contact: Liz Fekete, Institute
of Race Relations, 2-6 Leeke Street, London WC1X 9HS. Tel: ++ 071
837 0041