Freedom Alliance (Finland) Explained

Country:Finland
Freedom Alliance
Lang1:Finnish
Native Name:
Abbreviation:Finnish: VL
Swedish: FA
Headquarters:Antinkatu 3D, 00100 Helsinki
Split:Power Belongs to the People
Chairperson:Ossi Tiihonen
Leader1 Title:Vice-Chairpeople
Leader1 Name:Heli Rämäkkö
Niko A. Kauko
Pekka Timonen
Secretary:Lasse Paananen
Foundation:[1]
Ideology:National conservatism
Right-wing populism
Euroscepticism
Paasikivi-Kekkonen doctrine
Russophilia
Colours: Yellow
White[2]
Position:Right-wing to far-right
Seats1 Title:Eduskunta
Seats2 Title:European Parliament
Seats3 Title:Municipalities
Seats4:
Seats4 Title:County seats

The Freedom Alliance (Finnish: Vapauden Liitto, ;, FA),[3] [4] is a right-wing populist registered political party in Finland.[5] The party was founded by as a result of a split from the Power Belongs to the People (VKK) party in February 2022,[6] receiving 5,000 signatures on 19 April 2022, and being later registered on 6 May 2022.[7] [8]

Background

The Freedom Alliance was founded by influential members of the Power Belongs to the People (VKK) party following a party split related to the Russian Federation and Vladimir Putin,[9] alongside the leadership style and organization of the political party and the religiosity of the party.[10]

Ossi Tiihonen, who founded the Freedom Alliance, is a regional councilor for Lohja and a former member of the Finns Party and the VKK. Cia Grönborg, the former party secretary of VL, and Heli Rämäkkö, a vice-chairwoman of the VL, were both influential members of the VKK and have worked as a regional councilors for Espoo and Seinäjoki, respectively. They later left the VKK due to the leadership style and what they perceived as authoritarianism and the apparent lack of freedom to criticize the party leadership under Ano Turtiainen. Turtiainen accused the splitters of being only self-interested.

Ideology

Foreign Policy

The Freedom Alliance advocates for Finland to leave the European Union and condemns the EU as being anti-democratic, globalist and elitist.[11] The Freedom Alliance is also against NATO and the United States, proclaiming that cooperation with the United States has made Finland a satellite state.[12] [13] The party can be described as against transatlanticism, instead wishing for the return to the Paasikivi–Kekkonen doctrine.[14] Despite the opposition to the European Union, the Freedom Alliance wishes to promote European and international cooperation.[15]

The party promotes conspiratorial ideas, denying the existence of climate change, claiming that the European Union is "force-feeding harmful green ideology, which the Finnish MEPs cast their green plagues on the Finnish people."[16] The Freedom Alliance is against what they describe to be the "neoliberal New World Order", in which the "EU-virus" is promoting mass immigration, gender diversity, and "men who give birth."[17] [18]

The Freedom Alliance is against the sanctions on the Russian Federation for their territorial conquests, stating it to be hypocritical, illogical and emotional.[19] The party believes that Ukraine is a proxy client state of the United States, and that Ukraine is oppressing its Russian-speaking population, suppressing its peoples' freedom of speech and political power.[20] [21]

Political programs

The Freedom Alliance describes itself as a individualist and localist party.[22] The party is in favour of what it describes as "bringing back" freedom of speech, and the party promotes classical liberal ideas in relation to society, stating the need for various freedoms.[23] The party also believes in the right to privacy, opposing the proposed European Digital Identity. In relation to healthcare, the party wishes to promote freedom to choose healthcare provider, either private or public, the party also wishes to give unemployed jobseekers the right to a free health check-up, and to invest into healthcare services for the elderly and caregivers.

The party opposes affirmative action, non-work-based immigration, and wishes to "rationalize" laws, and remove incitement to ethnic or racial hatred from the criminal code.

The Freedom Alliance in relation to the Finnish economy, wishes to reinstate the markka as the sole currency to promote national economic growth,[24] promote self-sufficiency in order to keep the welfare state, as according to the party it is incompatible with the European Union. The Freedom Alliance also supports independent free trade, separate from the European Union.

Controversy

The Freedom Alliance has been accused of being Russophilic.[25] Another point of controversy is the party's support for the candidacy of Juha Korhonen, a media entrepreneur known to be a supporter of the Nordic Resistance Movement,[26] [27] [28] a domestic terrorist group.[29] Junes Lokka, a candidate in the European Parliament elections and a town councillor for the Freedom Alliance, who has been sentenced two times for incitement against an ethnic group,[30] and is known to have attended Nordic Resistance Movement events.[31]

Elections

The party ran in the 2023 parliamentary election in an electoral alliance with the Crystal Party and Finnish People First,[32] but won no seats.[33] The party supported the candidacy of Saara Huhtasaari in the 2024 Finnish presidential election,[34] but was unable to gather enough support for registration. The party nominated candidates for the 2024 European Parliament election,[35] notably including Teuvo Hakkarainen,[36] a member of the European Parliament who was expelled from the Finns Party due to his affiliation with the Freedom Alliance.[37] [38]

Election results

Parliament of Finland

References

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2022-02-27 . Vapauden liitto syntyy . 2024-08-09 . Vapauden liitto r.p. . fi.
  2. Web site: Logo ja graafiset ohjeet Vapauden liitto . 2024-05-18 . Vapauden liitto r.p. . fi.
  3. Web site: Säännöt Vapauden liitto . 2024-08-09 . Vapauden liitto r.p. . fi.
  4. Web site: Puolueiden nimet ja lyhenteet . Kielitoimiston ohjepankki . Kotimaisten kielten keskus . 2024-06-19.
  5. Web site: 2023-03-05 . The impact of the Russia–Ukraine war on right-wing populism in Finland - ECPS . 2024-05-24 . en-US.
  6. Web site: 2022-04-11 . VKK:n rivit rakoilevat: Ano Turtiaisen Venäjä-puheet, autoritaarinen johtajuus ja uskonnolliset kannanotot ajavat pois puolueesta . 2024-05-24 . Yle Uutiset . fi.
  7. Web site: April 19, 2022 . Vapauden liitto -puoluehanke sai puoluerekisteriin tarvittavat kannatusilmoitukset . Yle Uutiset.
  8. Web site: Puoluerekisteri.fi . puoluerekisteri.fi.
  9. Web site: Nikula . Jouni . April 15, 2022 . Puoluejohtaja Ano Turtiaisen Venäjä-myötäily on aiheuttanut hermoilua VKK:ssa – Keskipohjalaiset VKK-vaikuttajat kiistävät rivien rakoilun: "Meihin on liittynyt perussuomalaisten valtuutettuja viime viikkoina", sanoo veteliläinen Jarno Vähäkainu . KPK.
  10. Web site: April 11, 2022 . VKK:n rivit rakoilevat: Ano Turtiaisen Venäjä-puheet, autoritaarinen johtajuus ja uskonnolliset kannanotot ajavat pois puolueesta . Yle Uutiset.
  11. Web site: 2023-03-23 . Pelasta Suomi globalistien kynsistä . 2023-09-22 . Vapauden liitto r.p. . fi.
  12. Web site: 2023-12-10 . NATOKUUME SAI SUOMI-NEIDON JÄRJILTÄÄN . 2024-04-30 . Vapauden liitto r.p. . fi.
  13. Web site: 2023-12-22 . DCA-sopimuksella Suomi-neidosta tehtiin USA:n marionetti . 2024-04-30 . Vapauden liitto r.p. . fi.
  14. Web site: 2023-11-12 . Vapauden liitto ajaa perinteistä puolueettomuuspolitiikkaa . 2024-04-30 . Vapauden liitto r.p. . fi.
  15. Web site: Puolueohjelma Vapauden liitto . 2023-09-22 . Vapauden liitto r.p. . fi.
  16. Web site: 2023-03-21 . Irti vihreästä vääristymästä . 2023-09-22 . Vapauden liitto r.p. . fi.
  17. Web site: 2024-04-30 . SUOMI ON VAARASSA KUOLLA EUROOPAN MUKANA . 2024-04-30 . Vapauden liitto r.p. . fi.
  18. Web site: 2023-02-19 . Matti Simola 108 . 2024-04-30 . Vapauden liitto r.p. . fi.
  19. Web site: 2022-05-07 . Ajatuksiani pakotepolitiikasta . 2023-09-22 . Vapauden liitto r.p. . fi.
  20. Web site: 2024-03-11 . Historian kalleimmat kakut jaettiin Ukrainassa . 2024-05-16 . Vapauden liitto r.p. . fi.
  21. Web site: Tiihonen . Kirjoittaja Ossi . 2022-03-02 . Ei Venäjää Ukrainaan, ei Natoa Suomeen . 2024-05-16 . Ossi Tiihonen . fi.
  22. Web site: Toimitus . 2024-03-11 . Vapauden liitto määritteli itsensä lokalistipuolueeksi - Ossi Tiihonen jatkaa puheenjohtajana . 2024-04-30 . Vastaan Sanomat . fi.
  23. The various freedoms it describes are; freedom of movement, freedom of speech, freedom of opinion, freedom of ownership, freedom of enterprise, freedom of religion, freedom of political association, freedom to choose healthcare provider, freedom to decide independently about our bodies.
  24. Web site: 2023-04-03 . Smaller parties fail to make parliamentary breakthrough . 2024-05-03 . News . en.
  25. Web site: Suomalainen äärioikeisto on jakautunut kolmeen eri ryhmään – yksi niistä toivoo vallitsevan järjestelmän romahdusta. Voima. 28 July 2024.
  26. Web site: Valheenpaljastaja: Internetiin on kaikessa hiljaisuudessa syntynyt Youtuben kaltainen kotimainen kanava, jossa levitetään salaliittoteorioita – tällainen on Tokentube . 2024-08-05 . yle.fi . fi.
  27. Web site: Seura . 2021-11-14 . Seura tutki: Millaisten saarnaajien ääntä rokotevastustajat ja salaliitto-uskovaiset kuuntelevat? . 2024-08-05 . Seura.fi . fi.
  28. Web site: HS . Laura Halminen . 2019-12-21 . Valemedia MV-lehden puuhamiehet perustivat "Toimittajaliiton", jonka taustalla on Venäjä-yhteyksistään tunnettu Johan Bäckman . 2024-08-05 . Helsingin Sanomat . fi.
  29. Web site: Åbo hovrätt upplöser Nordiska motståndsrörelsen i Finland: "Jätteviktig milstolpe" . 2024-08-05 . svenska.yle.fi . sv.
  30. Web site: 2020-12-30 . Junes Lokan kiihotustuomio kansanryhmää vastaan pysyi ennallaan hovioikeudessa . 2024-08-05 . Yle Uutiset . fi.
  31. Web site: Junes Lokalle sakot kiihottamisesta kansanryhmää vastaan . 2024-08-05 . Kaleva . fi.
  32. Web site: Siikajoelta ehdokas eduskuntavaaleihin – Vapauden liitto, Suomen Kansa Ensin ja Kristallipuolue jättivät täyden yhteislistan eduskuntavaaliehdokkaista Oulun vaalipiirissä . 2024-05-25 . Siikajokilaakso . fi.
  33. Web site: 19 kansanedustajaehdokasta nimetty .
  34. Web site: Presidentinvaalit . 2023-09-22 . Vapauden liitto r.p. . fi.
  35. Web site: Europarlamenttivaalit 2024 . 2024-04-30 . Vapauden liitto r.p. . fi.
  36. Web site: 2024-04-30 . USU: Teuvo Hakkarainen ehdolle EU-vaaleihin vapauden liiton listalta: "Ei minusta tullut kokoomuksen beaglea" . 2024-05-25 . mtvuutiset.fi . fi.
  37. Web site: USU: Teuvo Hakkarainen vaihtoi puoluetta . 2024-05-25 . www.iltalehti.fi . fi.
  38. Web site: PS erotti Hakkaraisen ja Vornasen puolueesta – Hakkarainen: "En tiedä, mitä olen tehnyt" . 2024-05-25 . www.iltalehti.fi . fi.
  39. Web site: 2024-06-09 . Katso tästä jutusta äänestystilanne . 2024-06-10 . Yle Uutiset . fi.