On August 31st 2023 the Finnish government released a rather confusing document advocating the banning of communist symbols. The completely outlandish document is called a “Government statement to Parliament on promoting equality, gender equality and non-discrimination in Finnish society”. What does a document with such a title have to do with communism?
The situation is perfectly clear to class conscious marxists, but takes some explaining. Analyzing this situation will perfectly demonstrate how the ruling capitalist class and their government act dishonestly to fool the people and to selfishly serve their own interests.
In the media the document has been colloquailly called “the government’s statement on racism”. This is because on the surface, racism is its main topic. Since its formation in June 2023 the government (consisting of the right-wing Coalition Party (Kok.), the nationalist Finns Party (PS), and the Christian Democrats (KD) has faced serious criticism for the racist views of many leading ministers. The government has launched huge cuts to social-welfare and the livelihood of poor and working people.
The government’s minister of economic affairs Vilhelm Junnila (member of the nationalist party) was forced to resign after only 11 days due to intense criticism for his racist statements, apparetly nazi dog-whistling, advocating the giving of government funds to a heritage society of Finnish SS volunteers etc.
Nationalist party ministers Mari Rantanen (minister of interior), Leena Meri (minister of justice), Ville Tavio (minister of foreign trade) and Riikka Purra (minister of finance, vice prime-minister, head of the nationalist party) also faced severe criticism and a clear attempt by the liberal opposition to have them ousted. The ministers have repeatedly supported the “white genocide” or “great replacement” theory on social media and in the parliament. https://www.hs.fi/politiikka/art-2000009695963.html
Vice-prime minister and minister of finance Purra was also forced to apologize for old statements on the internet where she apparently advocated racist violence. Those comments were made on the website of the previous leader of the nationalist party, Jussi Halla-aho (currently Speaker of the Parliament of Finland) https://www.hs.fi/politiikka/art-2000009712740.html
Due to this criticism the government felt necessary to issue a statement denying their racism. This is in fact the stated goal of the government document. Of course, the releasing of such a document does absolutely nothing to demonstrate that the government ministers are not racists. They have a long history of racist views, and more importantly, of advocating racist policies. The first purpose of the document is to lie to the Finnish people. The second purpose is to launch – or rather continue – the anti-communist propaganda campaign waged by the Finnish capitalist state.
The government document reads:
“Acts motivated by hate against Jews, Muslims, Christians and other religious groups will be prevented. Holocaust denial will be criminalised. International Holocaust Remembrance Day will be
observed in accordance with international practices. The possibility of criminalising the use of at least Nazi and communist symbols to promote ideology will be investigated.” https://julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi/handle/10024/165112
The mentioning of communist symbols is completely anachronistic and out of place. What does communism have to do with racism? Absolutely nothing! The document disgracefully attempts to equate communism with fascism. This is actually an old fascist tactic. The fascists first try to equate communism and anti-fascism with fascism, and then try to argue that communism is worse and “fascism protects us from communism” and is therefore good.
There is a Finnish court ruling from 2021 which allows the use of swastika flags by nazi demonstrations. It is unlikely the current pro-fascist government would actually outlaw the swastika, although fascists have so many different symbols and routinely rebrand themselves, that it wouldn’t really matter. The swastika is only the most blatant fascist symbol.
Despite the fact that Finland signed the Paris Peace Treaty of 1947 which required that all fascist-type organizations be banned, the Finnish state nowadays not only allows nazi and fascist symbols, but also allowed the registration of a neo-nazi “Blue Black” party in 2022*. The name is a reference to the old Finnish nazi party IKL and the notorious fascist Lapua movement. The Nationalist Party itself has many ties to small fringe fascist groups. Due to these developments, it is unlikely the government of the big bourgeoisie and nationalists would take any serious action against racism. It is completely unrealistic.
*Due to public outcry, there has been proposals to “un-register” the party, but not to outlaw it, as the Paris Peace Treaty would actually require. A registered party can run in elections, a non-registered party cannot. Its members would have to run as independents.
The three government parties all share a nationalist, conservative and religious outlook, although the Coalition party is the most moderate. In religious issues both the nationalists and Christian democrats have advocated far-right positions, while on nationality and ethnic issues the nationalists are clearly the most extreme. All three parties serve the big capitalists, but the Coalition party is the most closely linked with the richest and most powerful capitalists. It is a stereotypical party of millionaires and of the wealthy.
The biggest seeming ideological disagreement within the government is on immigration issues. The Coalition party is strongly pro-EU, international free trade and labor based immigration. The nationalists have always opposed immigration in rhetoric, but in reality they have accepted the use of immigrant labor and never seriously opposed it, and instead use racist demagogy and try to turn Finnish workers and broad masses against immigrants. Therefore the seeming ideological disagreement is not real. The Coalition party supports immigration in order to exploit immigrant labor. The nationalists also tolerate it, but attack the immigrants, thus leaving them even more vulnerable to exploitation by the capitalists.
All the government parties strongly favor militarism and NATO. Despite the nationalist party’s supposed anti-EU attitude, they have fully accepted the EU’s position on communism.
The official position of the EU and of the European Left, is to equate communism and fascism. The EU celebrates “the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism”. It would not be a surprise if this remembrance day were to be brought to Finland soon.
There we see the dishonesty of the nationalists. They pretend to oppose the EU, but are actually in a united front with the EU against communism. This united front has been joined by the social-fascists of the European Left. They are social-fascists, because they pretend to be leftists, but ally with fascists against communism and the working class.
The social-democratic Left Alliance Party is another prime example of such social-fascism. They participated in the previous Marin government’s anti-communist and anti-worker policies. One of their parliament members, Anna Kontula, who even calls herself “the only communist in the parliament” reacted to the government proposal to ban communist symbols by saying that ‘no symbols should be banned, not even nazi symbols’. Typical social-fascism. Defending fascism by disgracefully linking it with communism and pretending to defend communism!
She continued by saying ‘communism is not the same as fascism, only stalinism is the same as fascism’. This left-noske cleverly and disgustingly pretends to defend communism, but actually attacks it. She attacks all real communists as ‘stalinists’, calling for them to be equated with fascism, and in reality supporting the government’s proposal to outlaw them.
Revealing their true class nature, the EU, the pro-EU capitalist parties, the nationalists, and the social-traitors both in Finland and internationally are all in a united front against communism.
So what was the government’s purpose in releasing their document? It was to lie and pretend to oppose fascism. They also wanted to intensify their anti-communist campaign. Communism has nothing in common with racism, but the government suggests that anti-communist persecution should somehow help in combating racism.
They say ‘in fairness, if we ban nazi symbols, we must also ban communist symbols’. And the social-fascists join in this dishonest game and answer ‘therefore fascist symbols should be protected’. The government and the police say ‘communism is just as bad as fascism’, while hiding their fascist sympathy. The social-fascists work seemlessly with the government and the police and reply, ‘yes, real communists, the “stalinists” truly are terrible’.
Is the government proposal going to be implemented? The government document was accepted by the parliament. However, the document only says it will investigate the possibility of banning the symbols. Possibly it will not be implemented. However, communist symbols have already been outlawed in the Baltic states, Poland, Ukraine and Hungary. Therefore it should not be seen as unrealistic.
Whether the symbols are banned or not, this is another dangerous step towards an even more reactionary and anti-worker policy by the Finnish state. I say state and not government, because this policy has been continued by all the governments, both right-wing and “leftist”. The toppling of Lenin statues and Finland’s NATO membership happened already under the social-democratic government of Rinne and Marin.
This proposal by the government pretends to be anti-fascist, while its advocates have clear fascist sympathies. It is actually a step towards fascism. Fascism means the open dictatorship of the most reactionary imperialist capitalist class, it means the abolition of bourgeois democracy and its replacement with open violence and terror. It means that workers and progressive forces no longer have even the nominal rights offered by bourgeois democracy. In fascism, worker, democratic, progressive and communist organizations are banned. The banning of communist symbols is the first step towards outlawing communism, and thus a step towards fascism.
It is characteristic that it is being done under the guise of opposing fascism. The government is being criticized for its fascist sympathies, and it responds with covert fascist policies, which even succeed in fooling some people.
Genuine communists in Finland responded to this government proposal by correctly declaring it a reactionary anti-communist and pro-fascist measure. Communists, such as the Communist Workers’ Party and Red Action, held a demonstration in Helsinki against the government’s proposal, boldly waving hammer and sickle flags which the government wishes to outlaw. At other demonstrations communists also carried banners opposing the government’s proposal.
https://www.ktpkom.fi/yleinen/kommunististen-tunnusten-kieltaminen-on-estettava/
https://www.902.gr/eidisi/kosmos/347260/kinitopoiisi-toy-kommoynistikoy-ergatikoy-kommatos-enantia-stin-apagoreysi-ton
It is characteristic that some bourgeois liberals and revisionists have already taken actions to distance themselves from real communists by trying to suppress the use of communist symbols at their political events and demonstrations, despite the fact that the government hasn’t even outlawed them yet.
Whether or not the government is able to outlaw communist symbols, it will not stamp out communism or the workers movement in Finland. The attempt to change the topic of criticism from fascism to communism, and to ban communist symbols, only demonstrates that the capitalist system is in a deep crisis. The capitalist system needs to intensify its attack against the livelihood of the working masses, and to intensify the attack against the most determined fighters against capitalism and imperialism, the communists.
ML-Theory 