Finland – Finland’s Vice Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Pertti Salolainen asserted on Thursday that American Jews have vast control over the wealth and media in the United States and that impedes the US government from remaining neutral toward the Palestinians.
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Pertti Salolainen’s remarks sparked sharp criticism from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, an international human rights group with its headquarters in Los Angeles, and the Finnish media watchdog website Tundra Tabloids.
While discussing the UN General Assembly vote to upgrade the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to non-member observer state status on the state television program YLE Aamu TV, Salolainen said: “Now about the United States, it finds it difficult to take a more neutral stance on the Israel-Palestine issue because they have a large Jewish population who have a significant control of the money and the media. The US for internal political reasons is afraid to become adequately involved. This is a sad truth about US politics.”
Finland’s government voted to upgrade the PLO.
Mark Weitzman, from the Wiesenthal Center, wrote to Ritva Koukku-Ronde, the Finnish Ambassador to the US, “That such remarks can come from a pillar of the political elite in Finland is dismaying and astonishing; but that this remark was unchallenged makes it appear that such ideas are part of acceptable discourse in Finland.”
Weitzman continued that Finland joined the International Task Force for Holocaust Education, Research and Remembrance and “At this point, Finland must immediately act to show that it remains committed to these ideals,” by officially condemning and repudiating Salolainen’s remarks He called on the Finish government to take steps to remove the parliamentarian from any official position.
The pro-Israel Helsinki-based website Tundra Tabloids posted a translation of Pertti Salolainen’s comments and the television clip with a translation. Tundra Tabloids termed Salolainen “a part-time anti-Semite” and said he propagated a modern version of the notorious 19th century anti-Semitic document “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” with his diatribe of Jew-hatred and conspiracy theories.
When asked in early November by The Jerusalem Post if statements from Hezbollah calling for the murder of Jews and Israelis and praise for Holocaust denial are anti-Semitic, Pekka Marttila, from the Finnish Foreign Ministry, refused to answer.
Frank Johansson, the head of Finland’s Amnesty International office, caused an anti-Semitism scandal in 2010 when he labeled Israel a “scum state” on the website of Finland’s third-largest newspaper Iltalehti. In an interview with the Post, Frank Johansson, defended the term and said he would only apply it to the Jewish state and some Russian officials. He retained his job with the human rights organization.
Content is provided courtesy of the Jerusalem Post
Its just as true as the 47 percent that romney said.
Fact is fact, denial is bliss
My brocha to this ben kelev ym’sh is that his life be “Finnished” !
Though I don’t know if my comment will posted…
I really don’t understand why the panic over his statement. The reality is Jews, (mostly secular/unaffiliated) have significant influence in the print and electronic media.
Take TV for example: You have Les Moonves who is Jewish, COO of CBS
Take Film: Spielberg, Katzanberg, Geffen, Weinstein..
Even on the Radio: Michael Savage, Mark Levin, Dennis Prager, Michael Medved. These are powerful media voices who do NOT hide their Jewishness.
Other notable figures in Hollywood/Media: Barbara Walters, Streitsand, Wolf Blitzer, Larry King, Jake Tapper. And many more who are either half Jewish or self identify as Jews (irrespective of Halacha).
In the print Media: Charles Krauthammer, Thomas Friedman, Paul Krugman, David Brooks just to name a few.
And though, these voices rarely present or represent traditional Jewish values (sometimes quite the opposite), they are nevertheless visible and obvious. To somehow negate the fact that Jews HAVE influence in the various streams of media is intellectually dishonest.
My comments do NOT excuse the INTENT of the Vice Chairman’s comments.
Can you say “less tourism to poor Finland”? I am sure that anytime they see a jew like Wolf Blitzer on Television, they go bananas. Its a major conspiracy and it starts with G-d. G-d is in control of the media and if you don’t like that, move to…um… no where. Good luck.
…continued
As far as Government:
Schumer, Liberman, Boxer, Feinstein, Frank, Levin, Lautenberg.
Bloomberg, Emmanuel.
…there are more.
…continued
As far as Government:
Schumer, Liberman, Boxer, Feinstein, Frank, Levin, Lautenberg.
Bloomberg, Emmanuel.
…there are more.
Here is the fallacy in a nutshell. There are a lot of Jews in the media but they do not often promote Jewish ideals or things that will benefit Jews. Anti-Semites embrace the former but not the latter. The NY Times, run by the Sulzberger family, is notoriously hostile to Jews and Israel.
The distinguished gentleman from Finland just joined the “Flat Earth Society,” as did several of the commenters before me.
Finns have a very high suicide rate. There’s something very wrong there.
The irony is that during WWII Finland faught battle Soviet Russia and in spite of being on the side of the Nazis Marshal Mannerheim refused the German demand to hand over or deport and all the Finnish were saved and not one was deported