Blue-and-Black Movement

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Blue-and-Black Movement
Sinimusta Liike
AbbreviationSML
ChairpersonTuukka Kuru
SecretaryTerhi Kiemunki
Vice-chairOlavi Saarelainen[1]
Founded13 January 2021 (2021-01-13)
Split fromFinns Party
HeadquartersHämeenlinna[2]
IdeologyNeo-fascism
Political positionFar-right
Colours  Black
  Dark blue
Eduskunta
0 / 200
Municipalities
0 / 8,859
County seats
0 / 1,379
Website
sinimustaliike.fi

The Blue-and-Black Movement (Finnish: Sinimusta Liike, abbr. SML[3]) is a neo-fascist de-registered political party in Finland.

The party was born out of row over ethnonationalism in the Finns Party, which led into the Finns Party Youth disintegrating and representatives being expelled from the party. The party's name and colors have been inspired by the Patriotic People's Movement.[4] By April 2022, the party had received the 5,000 signatures needed to register as a political party.[5][6]

The Supreme Administrative Court of Finland (KHO) de-registered the Blue-and-Black Movement as a party on 23 April 2024. The court found that the party program is anti-democratic and disrespects human rights, and thus is contrary to the Finnish Constitution and the European Union’s charter on human rights. The party had modified its party program after registration, restoring objectionable content that had been previously been removed.[7]

Ideology[edit]

The Blue-and-Black Movement can be described as a neo-fascist party,[8] the party defines itself also as radical and traditionalist.[9]

Foreign policy[edit]

The Blue-and-Black Movement in relation to foreign policy, stands for what it describes as "the principle of state independence" and anti-globalism, the party wishes for Finland to exit the European Union and for Finland to strive for neutrality in foreign conflicts that are not vital to Finland's national interests.[10] The Blue-and-Black Movement also wishes for Finland to exit the United Nations, and for Finland to leave multinational military alliances, such as NATO.[10]

The Blue-and-Black Movement staunchly positions itself as being opposed to Russia and it's foreign policy objectives. They seek for more cooperation with the Baltic countries, Sweden and Poland, instead of commitments to the United States in relation to foreign policy.[10] The Blue-and-Black Movement especially wishes to promote closer ties with Estonia, due to shared Baltic Finnic heritage between Finland and Estonia, this can be seen as Pan-Finnicism to an extent.[10]

Demographic, religion and population policy[edit]

The Blue-and-Black Movement is sympathetic to religion, especially to Christianity, which it sees as "preventing nihilism stemming from materialism and people-centeredness", it states that it respects both the integrity of the Orthodox Church of Finland and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. The Blue-and-Black Movement also wishes to support the study, interpretation and practice of Finnic paganism. The party states that it is for the criminalization of circumcisions for religious reason, and for the criminalization of ritual slaughter of animals.[11] The Blue-and-Black Movement is also against the building of mosques and minarets, as the party views them to be foreign religions in public space.[11]

The Blue-and-Black Movement is against bilingualism, and therefore wishes to abandon Pakkoruotsi as well,[12] however minorities such as the Finland Swedes and the Sami would still be able to get services in municipalities where they form a sizable minority.[13] They wish to remove the status of Åland having it's official language as only Swedish-speaking. The Blue-and-Black Movement wishes to redirect subsidies from minority languages, to promoting Finnish language in educational and cultural activities.[13]

The Blue-and-Black Movement wishes to combat the fertility crisis in Finland by promoting families to have children, the party proposes granting a zero-interest loan which gets paid off as the number of children increases.[14] The party also proposes income-tax reductions with more children. The Blue-and-Black Movement opposes artificial insemination and adoption rights for same-sex couples.[14] The Blue-and-Black Movement also wishes to ban the production, distribution and advertising of pornographic material and to limit access to abortions and hormonal contraception.[14] The Blue-and-Black Movement also wishes to limit the need for immigration, the party wishes to not accept humanitarian migrants, to leave "harmful international agreements" relating to migration.[14] The Blue-and-Black Movement also wishes to re-examine permits and citizenships granted since 1990, limit residence permits to a maximum of five years and to introduce a register which monitors the development of the foreign-originated populations.[14]

Economic and monetary policy[edit]

The Blue-and-Black Movement wishes to abandon the Euro as the currency and instead re-adopt the Markka.[12] The Blue-and-Black Movement wishes to promote self-suffiency in relation to energy and food production, the party also wishes to curb unemployment and poverty, and wishes to make part-time employment profitable for citizens.[15] The party supports a mixed economy, the party opposes equalization of incomes and centralization of jobs and services around cities.[15] The Blue-and-Black Movement supports tripartism, in which "the government will negotiate together with employers' and workers' unions and organizations in separate strategies for economic and social policy."[15]

Criticism[edit]

According to historian Oula Silvennoinen, who is also known for his work on Finnish co-operation with the Germans during World War Two, the party's ideology is neo-fascist.[16]

The Ministry of Justice considered the party program so radical and anti-democratic it had to be partially rewritten to be accepted for registration. For example, the party wanted an ethnic register of people living in Finland, to outlaw advocating for a non-traditional family, and to reconsider the citizenship of everyone made a citizen after 1990.[17][18] These controversial planks were later re-added to the party program, which has caused the Ministry of Justice to request a court to revoke the Blue-and-Black Movement's status as a registered political party.[19]

The party immediately caused controversy when chair Kuru wrote that the movement opposes visible presence of non-Christian religions and that the interests and genetics of the Jews are separate and "in total conflict with those of the European native population". The comments were condemned by chair of the Helsinki Jewish Congregation [fi] Yaron Nadbornik.[20][21]

Election results[edit]

Parliament of Finland[edit]

Election Votes % Seats +/– Government
2023 2,307 0.07
0 / 200
New Extra-parliamentary

References[edit]

  1. ^ Pöntinen, Sami (13 January 2021). "Jussi Halla-aho Sinimusta liike -puoluehankkeesta: "En usko olevan kovin suurta merkitystä perussuomalaisten kannalta"". Finnish Broadcasting Company.
  2. ^ "Kansalainen haastattelee eduskuntavaaliehdokkaita: Tuukka Kuru". Kansalainen.
  3. ^ Pettersson, Tobias (22 January 2021). "Blåsvarta rörelsen en tydlig referens till 30-talets finländska fascism". Hufvudstadsbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Finns Party splinter group dons colours of 1940s fascists". Finnish Broadcasting Company. 13 January 2021.
  5. ^ "Puoluerekisteri.fi".
  6. ^ Kangas, Laura (2 August 2021). "Sinimusta liike sai puolueen perustamiseen vaadittavat kannattajakortit kasaan". Yle Uutiset. Finnish Broadcasting Company.
  7. ^ "KHO: Fasistisen ja rasistisen sinimustan liikkeen puoluerekisteröinti on purettu". Finnish Broadcasting Company. 23 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  8. ^ "Eduskuntavaaleihin tähtäävä sinimusta liike on avoimen rasistinen ja fasistinen – sen mielenosoituksessa itsenäisyyspäivänä voidaan nähdä hakaristilippuja: "Ei kulkueen kärjessä"". mtvuutiset.fi (in Finnish). 3 December 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  9. ^ "Poliittiset liikkeet | Puolueeksi pyrkivä Sinimusta liike julkaisi ohjelmansa – Professori: Edes IKL:n ohjelma ei ollut näin jyrkkä". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 1 February 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d "Ulkopolitiikka - Sinimusta Liike". sinimustaliike.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Uskontopolitiikka - Sinimusta Liike". sinimustaliike.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 23 April 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Ohjelma" [Program]. Blue-and-Black Movement (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 20 February 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  13. ^ a b "Kielipolitiikka - Sinimusta Liike". sinimustaliike.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  14. ^ a b c d e "Väestöpolitiikka - Sinimusta Liike". sinimustaliike.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  15. ^ a b c "Talouspolitiikka - Sinimusta Liike". sinimustaliike.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  16. ^ ""Tältä fasismi näyttää, kun sen kirjoittaa paperille" – tutkija Oula Silvennoinen epäilee Sinimustien puoluehankkeen karahtavan oikeusministeriöön" ["This is what fascism looks like when you write it down on paper" - researcher Oula Silvennoinen suspects that the Sinimustie party project will run away to the Ministry of Justice]. www.kirkkojakaupunki.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  17. ^ "Sinimusta liike joutui karsimaan ohjelmaansa kovalla kädellä, jotta se sai oikeusministeriön hyväksynnän" [The blue-black movement had to prune its program with a heavy hand in order to get it approved by the Ministry of Justice] (in Finnish). Finnish Broadcasting Company. 16 May 2021.
  18. ^ "Radikaaliksi ja traditionalistiseksi itseään luonnehtiva Sinimusta liike pyrkii rekisteröitymään puolueeksi" [The Blue-and-Black Movement, which describes itself as radical and traditionalist, is trying to register as a party] (in Finnish). Helsingin Sanomat. 13 May 2021.
  19. ^ Tauriainen, Riika (23 October 2023). "Ministeriö vaatii Sinimustaa liikettä ulos puoluerekisteristä – Fasistipuolue haluaa puolestaan kommunistit vastuuseen". Iltalehti. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  20. ^ "Sinimustan liikkeen puheenjohtaja Tuukka Kuru kirjoittaa tekstejä, jotka käryävät antisemitismiltä – "vanhoillinen luterilainen" Kuru kuuluu kirkosta irtaantuneeseen Lähetyshiippakuntaan". Kirkko ja Kaupunki.
  21. ^ "Sinimusta liike luo juutalaisen seurakunnan puheenjohtajassa Yaron Nadbornikissa mielleyhtymiä natsi-Saksaan: "Nämä ihmiset ovat eksyksissä oman ihmisyytensä kanssa"". Kirkko ja Kaupunki.