Man gave racist sticker to girl on train, witness intervened

A man gave a racist sticker to a four-year-old girl on a train on Saturday, and another passenger took it away, Yle reports. The incident occurred on a Z train travelling from Lahti to Helsinki.

Juliana Musto, 26, was travelling with her young son in the area reserved for prams. A mother with an estimated four-year-old child was sitting nearby.

Near Mäntsälä, a man boarded the train and sat opposite them. According to Musto, he gave the girl a sticker from the Sinimusta movement bearing the slogan “Extinction or return migration”.

Musto stood up, took the sticker from the girl, tore it up and told the man that it was inappropriate to give such a sticker to a child. She said the man did not see anything wrong with his actions.

“I first said it once and then shouted again that you cannot give stickers like that to a child. He said that immigrants have no brains,” Musto told Yle.

According to Musto, the man went to complain to his friends that the sticker had been torn up. She said people in the same group filmed the incident.

Yle has not been able to verify the details of the incident through any source other than Musto.

Organisation reports rise in racism targeting children

Nora Dadi, a family and equality work planner at Familia, said the organisation is now informed of racist incidents involving children almost every month. Familia is a nationwide expert and advocacy organisation for families from two cultural backgrounds.

“Previously, we heard about a few such incidents a year, but now I learn about them almost monthly,” Dadi said.

A small child may initially see a colourful sticker as an ordinary sticker and may not understand its racist message. Dadi also described a case in which a six-year-old brought home a note saying, “Go back to your home country.”

Even when a child does not understand the meaning of the words, they may sense from adults’ reactions that something serious, wrong or frightening has happened. This can affect the child’s sense of security.

Dadi said it was not possible to determine from one incident whether this particular child would suffer permanent psychological harm, but the possibility could not be ruled out. Repeated racist experiences while growing up can increase the risk of long-term effects, she said.

Such experiences can affect a child’s sense of security, identity and self-esteem, as well as their perception of whether they are accepted and belong in Finland.

Dadi urged people to intervene whenever a child is subjected to racism or hate speech. She said racist harassment should be reported to the police without hesitation, and on public transport also to the transport operator or staff.

A parent targeted by racism may be so shocked that they cannot immediately respond or explain what happened to the child. Once the situation has calmed down, however, it is important to discuss it with the child in an age-appropriate way, Dadi said.

A four-year-old does not need a detailed explanation of the political background. An adult can say that the man acted wrongly, that the child did nothing wrong, and that the child is valuable and safe.

The child can also be told that if someone acts similarly again, they should immediately tell a trusted adult, such as a parent, train staff member or security guard. This helps restore the child’s sense of safety and control, Dadi said, because the child does not have to deal with the situation alone.

Dadi said the mother who took the sticker from the child acted as an example to others.

“Her intervention showed the family that they were not alone in the situation and that such treatment is not accepted.”

The girl’s mother asked Musto what had happened. She said she had thought the sticker was the lid of a yoghurt container. The mother became upset and thanked Musto for intervening.

Musto said the incident angered her and made her wonder whether similar things had happened elsewhere.

“I became upset immediately when I saw the sticker in the child’s hand. I wondered whether our children are really safe here if racist stickers are being handed out on trains. I was born in Finland and my parents are native Kurds, so this raises concerns for me.”