Freedom of speech has died in Finland

Via Samizdata, this article regarding the conviction of Mikko Ellilä for stating his opinion on immigration and crime. A translation of the trial is available in English here.

One of the peculiar facets of this case is that Mikko has been prosecuted in part for using official government statistics that show ethnic minorities commit a far greater share of total crime in Finland then would be expected given their share of population. There are probably a number of reasons for this; recent immigrants, (outside of the city of London), tend to be poor and for obvious reasons those in poverty have a greater motivation to be involved in crime, cultural factors both imported and due to alienation may explain part of it and in some jurisdictions, (I have no idea for Finland), there is some bias against ethnic minorities in the justice system, (it is entirely understandable to be biased when one group is responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime but that is still no excuse for poor administration of justice), so that may be another factor.

Mikko also brings up the idiots favourite of citing a lower IQ for africans, (BIG CLUE, there is a point or so difference on average but this is due to malnutrition as people who's parents were from these areas but grew up in the first world have no such disadvantage).

So in summary Mikko has brought to light some government statistics, argued well in some bits and badly in others and has helped to shed more light on an important argument, (whichever side of the immigration debate you take, there is never any excuse for shying away from the truth). For this he has been tried, convicted, fined and had his work pulled from his site. Not because he was inciting violence, nor due to him making slanderous allegations but because Mikko Puumalainen, Finlands Head of Thought Police Ombudsman For Minorities has pushed this shit through:

'...government “should intervene especially strongly” in the activities of those citizens who seek to maintain the current anti-immigrationist political climate in Finland by “using publicity”:'

Yes how dare they use publicity the bastards. God help us all if people are able to get their greasy mitts on the facts, civilisation would shake to it's very foundations. I think the only sensible solution is gag Mr Puumalainen and then slowly torture him to death while telling him how we would be delighted stop any time he asks, perhaps that might teach him the virtues of free speech.