https://sputnikglobe.com/20230427/unacceptable-anti-russian-discrimination-found-in-finnish-song-contest-1109871229.html
'Unacceptable' Anti-Russian Discrimination Found in Finnish Song Contest
'Unacceptable' Anti-Russian Discrimination Found in Finnish Song Contest
Sputnik International
Since the start of the hostilities in Ukraine, Russians living abroad have faced all kinds of discrimination, from harassment on social media to downright violence.
2023-04-27T06:35+0000
2023-04-27T06:35+0000
2023-09-27T07:20+0000
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Finland's Non-Discrimination Ombudsman has ruled that two contestants in the popular Voice of Finland TV contest were discriminated against because of their Russian background, when they were abruptly removed from the show last year.Both Finnish-Russian dual citizens were shown the door despite having made it through the qualifying stages of the national version of the popular show The Voice. The producer subsequently admitted that an "error" had occurred and invited the contestants back onto the show, which they refused.In the final assessment of the incident, the ombudsman ruled that ITV Studios Finland, the production company, committed an act of discrimination.The company admitted that discrimination had occurred in this case and has agreed to pay out compensation to the former contestants.ITV Studios Finland CEO Pete Paavolainen cited "the unprecedented global situation," which forced the production company to exclude the competitors from the program in the middle of production, yet admitted that the company was "wrong." Since the start of the hostilities in Ukraine last February, Finland's Non-Discrimination Ombudsman has dealt with numerous reports of Russian citizens facing discrimination in the Nordic country. Some of them involved Russian and dual citizens living in Finland banned from participating in amateur competitive sports. Russians and people of Russian origin have also reported experiencing harassment on social media, in neighborhood relations and in educational institutions.Stenman voiced her concern about the phenomenon, emphasizing that the sanctions imposed on Russia must be applied strictly within the given limits. She stressed that sanctions are "strictly limited, legal decisions" and should not be applied "by extension."Since the start of Moscow's military operation in Ukraine, the West has imposed a slew of "punitive" measures against Russia and its citizens, froze Russian assets abroad and slapped the country with fuel embargoes and flight bans. Western nations have also cancelled Russian participation in sports competitions and cultural events, and limited the number of issued visas, undermining people's connections. Despite being touted as only targeting "decision-makers," the real goal of the sanctions clearly is to embitter the everyday life of Russians, which has been admitted by leading Western politicians including outgoing Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin (who notoriously said the quiet part out loud: that sanctions must hit "ordinary Russians"). Furthermore, Russians in Europe and the West in general have faced discrimination, hostility, humiliation and even violence simply for being Russian.
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anti-russian bias, anti-russian harassment, discrimination against russians, discrimination based on nationality, anti-russian sentiment
anti-russian bias, anti-russian harassment, discrimination against russians, discrimination based on nationality, anti-russian sentiment
'Unacceptable' Anti-Russian Discrimination Found in Finnish Song Contest
06:35 GMT 27.04.2023 (Updated: 07:20 GMT 27.09.2023) Since the onset of the hostilities in Ukraine, Russians and people with Russian roots living abroad have faced various kinds of discrimination, ranging from harassment on social media and educational institutions to downright violence.
Finland's Non-Discrimination Ombudsman has ruled that two contestants in the popular Voice of Finland TV contest were discriminated against because of their Russian background, when they were abruptly removed from the show last year.
Both Finnish-Russian dual citizens were shown the door despite having made it through the qualifying stages of the national version of the popular show The Voice. The producer subsequently admitted that an "error" had occurred and invited the contestants back onto the show, which they refused.
In the final assessment of the incident, the ombudsman ruled that ITV Studios Finland, the production company, committed an act of discrimination.
"This was discrimination on the basis of nationality in violation of the Non-Discrimination Act," Ombudsman Kristina Stenman said in a press release.
The company admitted that discrimination had occurred in this case and has agreed to pay out compensation to the former contestants.
ITV Studios Finland CEO Pete Paavolainen cited "the unprecedented global situation," which forced the production company to exclude the competitors from the program in the middle of production, yet admitted that the company was "wrong."
Since the start of the hostilities in Ukraine last February, Finland's Non-Discrimination Ombudsman has dealt with numerous reports of Russian citizens facing discrimination in the Nordic country. Some of them involved Russian and dual citizens living in Finland banned from participating in amateur competitive sports. Russians and people of Russian origin have also reported experiencing harassment on social media, in neighborhood relations and in educational institutions.
20 October 2022, 05:41 GMT
Stenman voiced her concern about the phenomenon, emphasizing that the sanctions imposed on Russia must be applied strictly within the given limits. She stressed that sanctions are "strictly limited, legal decisions" and should not be applied "by extension."
"Harassment or discrimination against Russian citizens or Russian speakers is unacceptable in any form," Stenman ruled.
Since the start of Moscow's military operation in Ukraine, the West has imposed a slew of "punitive" measures against Russia and its citizens, froze Russian assets abroad and slapped the country with fuel embargoes and flight bans. Western nations have also cancelled Russian participation in sports competitions and
cultural events, and limited the number of
issued visas, undermining people's connections. Despite being touted as only targeting "decision-makers," the real goal of the sanctions clearly is to embitter the everyday life of Russians, which has been admitted by leading Western politicians including outgoing Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin (who notoriously said the quiet part out loud: that sanctions must hit "ordinary Russians"). Furthermore, Russians in Europe and the West in general have faced discrimination, hostility,
humiliation and even violence simply for being Russian.
