Social Democratic Party (SDP) Vice Chair and Member of Parliament Nasima Razmyar has launched a sharp critique against the National Coalition Party’s newly released immigration policy, describing the proposals as cold and inhumane. The program, unveiled on a Friday by Atte Kaleva, Jukka Kopra, and Paula Risikko, has drawn pushback for tightening family reunification rules and suggesting cultural or religious criteria for refugee selection.
Razmyar argued that the policy paper reflects desperation and falls far short of what the public should expect from a sivistyspuolue. According to the SDP deputy leader, the core framework creates an artificial barrier between demographic groups, labeling individuals as either insiders or outsiders.
The opposition politician focused specific criticism on proposals aimed at scaling back mother-tongue language instruction for foreign-language children and enforcing stricter prerequisites for asylum seekers. While Coalition Party representatives maintained that integration must align with societal and cultural norms in Finland, Razmyar contended that the resulting framework mirrors the immigration policy of the Finns Party.
Clashing Views on Refugee Selection and Constitutional Rights
The debate intensified following comments surrounding refugee assessment criteria. Atte Kaleva, who was involved in the preparation of the Coalition Party’s immigration paper, suggested in an interview that religion could serve as a potential factor when evaluating applicants. Petteri Orpo subsequently clarified that religion is not mentioned in the program, emphasizing instead that suitability is a natural basis for refugee selection.
Razmyar pointed out that any methodology relying on religious or geographic screening would be contrary to the constitution. She asserted that such framing makes frequent disavowals of racism by Coalition Party members feel artificial.
“When I look at the paper, it exudes a strong division of society into us and others,” Razmyar stated, criticizing the disconnect between stated commitments against prejudice and the actual policy texts being produced.
While Razmyar did not label the entire document explicitly as racist, she maintained that it contains numerous elements that divide populations. She added that constructive integration requires a mutual exchange of obligations and support, arguing that a framework built solely on demands fails to offer a viable path forward.
SDP’s Own Policy Shifts and Future Government Cooperation
The exchange highlights a hardening of immigration discourse. The SDP has also tightened its stance on integration, proposing that language training could be a condition for social security.
Despite shared concerns regarding the prevention of parallel societies and the protection of women and girls from violence, Razmyar remained non-committal about whether the ideological gap between her party and the Coalition Party would preclude future cooperation in a coalition government.
Noting that elections must be held first, Razmyar questioned how much of the Coalition Party’s identity as a sivistyspuolue remains intact when balancing right-leaning economic and labor market policies with such proposals.
