SDP: Immigrants should abandon "incompatible practices" from home countries

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) of Finland emphasized young people and immigration during their summer party meeting in Kouvola. The party unveiled a series of proposals, including the potential for harsher penalties for certain crimes. SDP Secretary Mikkel Näkkäläjärvi cited Sweden's advice to do everything possible to prevent the situation from worsening as the main reason for these proposals.

Tackling gang crime, inciting minors to commit serious offenses, and addressing repeated violent or sexual crimes could see sentences doubled. The SDP also drew inspiration from Denmark's approach, which combines stricter measures with softer policies to combat gang crime.

Looking ahead to Finland's upcoming parliamentary elections in April, the SDP proposed a more stringent integration policy. The party's policy paper argued that second-generation immigrants' prospects depend on their parents' ability to equip them with necessary skills and support to integrate into Finnish society. The SDP warned of the emergence of parallel societies divided by cultural lines and urged immigrants to adopt the core values and norms of Finnish society, abandoning incompatible practices from their home countries.

The party suggested linking access to social security with language studies and considering limits on free interpreting services after immigrants have resided in Finland for a specific duration.

Party parliamentary group leader Tytti Tuppurainen emphasized that the SDP will not tolerate discrimination, prejudice, or scaremongering regarding immigration. The party also proposed that Finnish schools should adopt a more traditional classroom structure, moving away from open-plan classrooms. Additionally, the SDP advocated for more mainstreaming of immigrant children from second-language classes into regular Finnish or Swedish classes to enhance integration.