The Prime Minister finally received the petitions calling for a ceasefire

Petition deliverers with the special adviser Kirsi Hölttä. Photo: Eva-Liisa Orupõld.

Over the past weeks, several groups in Finland have collected signatures on petitions calling for a ceasefire with Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. These groups include museum workers, musicians and professionals in the fields of education and training. After several weeks of negotiations, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo received some of these petitions through his special adviser Kirsi Hölttä at a meeting in front of the Government Palace. The event was organised by Amnesty Finland and Sumud – The Finnish Palestine Network.

On the volunteer-run website tulitauko.org have been gathered petitions collected in Finland over the past weeks, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. The petitions, which are still gathering signatures, already have more than 50 000 names, not counting the number of signatories. There are currently 11 petitions on the site calling for a ceasefire, some of which were handed over to the Prime Minister’s Office today.

Represented in the common front are Amnesty’s demand to Petteri Orpo (over 27 000 signatures), Sumud’s call for a ceasefire directed at the Finnish government (over 16 000 signatures), the petition of researchers in the social sciences and humanities (almost 500 signatures), the petition of social workers (over 1 100 signatures), the petition of museum workers for a humanitarian ceasefire (over 400 signatures), a petition by teaching and education professionals (over 1 400 signatures), a petition by doctors and medical students (over 600 signatures), a petition by students, alumni and staff of the Helsinki University of the Arts (409 signatures), a petition by priests of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (245 signatures), a petition by musicians and music professionals (636 signatures) and an open letter by arts and culture professionals to the Finnish government (2 090 signatures).

The petitions were handed over by Tuure Kilpeläinen and Linda Fredrikson (musicians’ petition), Kaura Raudaskoski and Jemina Lindholm (museum workers for a humanitarian ceasefire), Noora Dadu (Sumud), Frank Johansson (Executive Director of Amnesty Finland), Alaa Al Tamimi (Amnesty), Eero Yli-Vakkuri (on behalf of arts and culture professionals and students, and alumni and staff of the University of the Arts), Alisa Ajomaa and Inka Söderström (social workers), Nuha Abusaid (teaching and education professionals) and Anastasia Diatlova (social sciences and humanities researchers).

Finland’s leaders are staying on the wrong side of history

In the aftermath of yesterday’s Children’s Rights Day, the Finnish government’s tacit support for Israel’s actions is causing outrage among education professionals.

“By signing the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Finland has committed itself to promoting its objectives and protecting the right to life and development of the most vulnerable children. For this to be possible, Finland must contribute by calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, immediate, sustained and unrestricted humanitarian access to the region and the restoration of uninterrupted water, electricity and internet connections,” said Nuha Abuzaid, a maths teacher.

The Finnish leadership has not yet called for a ceasefire in the occupied Palestinian territories. In the already catastrophic situation in Gaza, in the past month and a half at least 13 300 people have died, including more than 5 600 children. The death toll continues to rise and more than one and a half million people have been forced to flee their homes.

“Justifying the genocide in Gaza by abstaining in the UN ceasefire vote and continuing the arms trade with Israel makes it clear that the Finnish state is not committed to human rights in its policies. The social sector is strongly linked to the structures of the state, and it is therefore particularly important that social workers rely strongly and independently on their professional ethics, also and especially in situations like this, where they are in conflict with the state’s line,” say social worker Alisa Ajomaa and social work university lecturer Inka Söderstöm, who handed in the social workers’ petition.

Among Finland’s peer countries, Norway has taken a clear position on the ceasefire. Norwegian Ambassador to the UN Andreas Lovold told a UN session yesterday (20th of November) that “Norway sees an urgent need for an immediate, sustainable and sustained humanitarian ceasefire.”

The current situation is a continuation of decades of occupation 

In recent weeks, the Finnish leadership has unequivocally condemned only the attack by Hamas on 7th of October. The failure to condemn Israel’s military action appears to be an unhistorical interpretation of the situation. “The violence perpetrated by Hamas cannot be treated in isolation from the Israeli occupation, which is also represented by the blockade of the Gaza Strip. The occupation since the Six Day War in 1967 has made the living conditions of Palestinians miserable and exposed them to constant, daily violence. Restrictions on movement, violence by the occupying forces and settlers, economic deprivation and repeated land seizures, destruction of homes and prevention of livelihoods, and a climate of fear and humiliation are all part of that daily violence, which is overlooked if the situation is considered only when the violence escalates,” write researcher Tiina Järvi (University of Tampere), doctoral researcher Antti Tarvainen (University of Helsinki) and university researcher Mikko Joronen (University of Tampere).