Finland - 2001: An Odyssey of Uninvited guests

Uninvited guests 2001 is a demonstration for social justice. As such it is a continuation of several previous manifestations, both on the Finnish and on the European level. The demonstrations of the unemployed and of the homeless, the large events against neoliberalism in Amsterdam, Cologne, Prague, Gothenburg and Genoa, the celebrations of the uninvited guests since 1996 and countless other smaller events have aimed to bring forward the silenced features of the social reality and to appeal for social justice.

Today at least the statistical facts about the condition of our society are generally known. During the recent 10 years Finland has been a precursor of neoliberal policies in Europe. The level of our social security has declined under the European average, the working hours are the second longest among the countries of the European Union. Work exhaustion and stress, constant insecurity and the enforcement to be flexible according to the demands of the employer have placed their mark in the lives of the most. Income disparities have increased in an enourmous speed and public services have been reduced. The receiving of social benefits has constantly been made more difficult, and more and more people have been displaced out of its range. The inequality between different areas is increasing and the "marginal" areas are becoming poorer.

All this has been realized simultaneously as politicians have been talking about defending and maintaining the welfare state, and promised in their election speeches to support the causes of the poor, the unemployed, the pensioners and the workers. According to all researches the opinion climate among the citizens has nearly completely been against the increasing income disparities and the cuttings of services and social security, but this has had no practical significance in the eyes of the decision makers. As the political system has such completely failed to represent the opinions of the citizens it is no wonder that especially among those who have a low income, the belief in the political system has collapsed and in effect voting has decreased in many areas even to under 50%.

We simply want general security and equal basic rights. We want an end to the constant increasing of insecurity in our lives. We want a guaranteed, unconditioned income, housing and functioning public services for everyone. We want civil rights to everyone who wants to participate in our society.

Every human being should have the right to make him/herself heard. In the citizens' square of the odyssey of uninvited guests a chance to speak is given to all those who can't get it otherwise: the unemployed, the poor, the homeless, the diseased and the displaced. The social multitude can be witnessed in the citizens' square. There is something to tell also in other areas than the mainstream of public discussion, everyone has an interesting story.

On the 6th of December the political decision makers of Finland and the other successful people of our society will gather to their annual meeting in the presidential palace. These celebrations and their spectacle most largely represent inequality and the silencing of the multitude. This celebration is the triumphant party of the elites celebrating their success. Despite the speeches of independence those celebrating in the palace are rather the executors of the global neoliberal strategy - just like we are are a part of the global resistance waked by neoliberalism - than representatives of the citizens.

This year our intention is to occupy the streets around the the presidential palace. We will place our voices, music, creativity, demands and bodies to stop those entering the party. We want to make visible and audible all those who neoliberalism wants to make voiceless and invisible. We want to stop the increasing inequality and injustice by stopping those who constantly promote neoliberalism with their decisions. By stopping the road from the celebration of inequality we want to open a road to the discussion and action for a more just society.

Our challenge for the trade union movement

On the global level we have seen how e.g. the central trade union of the United States, AFL-CIO, and the Italian union of metal workers, FIOM, have made coalitions with the movements of the multitude in the streets of Seattle and Genoa, how the workers' organizations e.g. in South Korea, Mexico and Bangladesh have talked about the same things with us in the same events and struggles. Simultaneously we have been able to observe the Finnish trade union movement isolating itself within work places and its endless retreating in front of neoliberalism. We are inviting the Finnish labor movement with us to the road on which millions of the members of the trade unions around the world have already began to travel. To take the supervision of interests on the streets, to attach the struggles in the work places to common demands of guaranteeing basic rights.

Our message to those invited in the palace

Over one thousand guests have been invited to the palace and there are people from varying sectors in this group. We are not argumenting that they are all supporters of neoliberalism or responsible for the current direction of social progression. However, by participating in the celebrations they are all part of the great spectacle of inequality. Is the current condition and progression of Finland something that is worth celebrating? Does it have such value that you are ready to walk over us in order to enter the celebration? Do you maybe wish the police to clear demonstators out of your way with a truncheon, on behalf of you? We wish that all those invited who want to support equality and democracy to not go to the celebration and to state this publicly.

Our message to the police

We are aware that troops of police will be sent against us, equipped with varying armament and protection. Our methods of action will not be violent. However, on the European level we have unfortunately seen and experienced brutal violence realized by the police and this has taken away our trust on the possibility that the police would act in a civilized and lawful way and by minimizing violence. Nevertheless we hope that the police who are confronting us in the indepedence day understand that it is not the interest of either the demonstrators or the police to make the conflict more critical. After our experiences in Gothenburg and in Genoa we are asking the police the following things:

1) Non-violent activity is not reacted with violent or otherwise unlawful methods
2) Demonstrators are not attacked without a cause, and accommodation and meeting places are not terrorized
3) The police who are confronting the demonstrators do not carry guns

We want to act non-violently, but if the police destroys the possibilities for organized activity and uses as violent methods as in Gothenburg or Genoa, no one can really guarantee the non-violence of all the demonstrators.

arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)