Green Sisu member Owain Hopeaketo’s speech in the Green Party Congress 29.9.2024 Espoo.
Last year, one quarter of the university graduates of engineering and ICT in Finland were international. In 2019, I was one of them.
Standing here in Dipoli, in the heart of technology, I cannot help but think what those international graduates mean to Finland.
To me, they mean salvation.
Salvation by integration, making Finland a part of a global world.
Salvation by innovation, working together to solve the problems of the future.
Salvation by inspiration, bringing experiences and stories that show to us the consequences of our climate actions.
Right now, it is a group that feels betrayed.
Betrayed by politics of division, of rhetoric ruling over facts. Betrayed because the story they were told, the story that made them leave everything behind and give this tiny Nordic country a chance is being torn apart. Betrayed, because they hear from politicians about their threat, or their value, but never about their humanity.
You all have platforms, you all have voices. How many of you have posted about this conference in English? Spread the word that Finland needs immigrants, and spread that word in English.
That is how you will make a difference, not by banging on the door of a government that is not willing to listen.
Next year, we will have the local elections, and I am proud to be a candidate here in Espoo. Those elections are our chance to show every person living in Finland, native or not, that Finland is a country for them.
So I urge everyone to use those elections to say just that. Otherwise, engage with Green Sisu, and engage in getting politics into English.
The speech starts at 2:15:10 on this video.