Mob smashes windows of apartments housing refugees from Myanmar

Alert DateAugust 23, 2006 Country: Finland Address: Kotka General Type: Racist violence Racism and discrimination phenomena: Anti-migrant/xenophobia
Groups affected / Interested in: Refugees Key socio-economic/institutional areas: Daily life
Victims Data
Victims Nationality/Ethnic Origin N/A
Victims Gender N/A
Victims Age N/A
Victims Number N/A
Fatalities - deaths N/A
Perpetrators Data
Perpetrators Nationality/Ethnic Origin Finnish
Perpetrator Gender Male
Perpetrator Age 18-25
Perpetrators Number 2
Extremist/Organised Group Violence No

Two young men have been held in the south coast city of Kotka in the aftermath of an incident in which a group of men attacked a building housing refugees from Myanmar - formerly Burma. About 20 young men broke windows of a public housing apartment block in the city’s Suulisniemi district on Wednesday 23.8.2006. The building is home to 40 Myanmar refugees who arrived in Finland in April as part of this country’s annual refugee quota.


    
The two who were arrested were local residents. One of them was born in 1984 and the other in 1988. Police inspector Juha Junkkari said that others have also been interrogated, and the questioning continues. He says that the motive for the action has not yet emerged.

 

There were two incidents of window-breaking on Wednesday. In the afternoon, two people are believed to have been involved, and later in the evening, there were about 20. Weapons included stones and pieces of wood.
    
    
The attacks were met with shock in Kotka. Junkkari says that on previous occasions police had received scattered reports of windows of refugees’ apartments being broken in the same area, as well as clashes between people of different nationalities, but the latest incident was more extensive than before.

 

Social Worker Virpi Kupiainen has spoken with the refugees themselves after the attack. She says that the predominant emotions are great anguish and fear. "We tried to offer them the possibility to go somewhere else provisionally, but they decided that they did not want to leave, because they would have to come back anyway."
The company that runs the apartments has increased its security surveillance of the area.


    
The integration process of the Myanmar refugees is on hold until their faith in security returns, Kupiainen says."Behind the anguish for many are their memories of their home countries. They have thought that they would be safe here. It is incredible that something like this can happen."

 

Kotka immigration coordinator Jaana Kosonen hopes that the events would lead to an open discussion on tolerance. She said that since the events on Wednesday, many city residents have contacted her.
"The message was that this kind of thing is not acceptable, and that such acts have no place in our city."

Source:

Helsingin Sanomat - International Edition: Mob smashes windows of apartments housing refugees from Myanmar (28.8.2006) http://www.hs.fi/english/article/1135221265134