Human Rights, Criminalisation of Migrants and Racism Debates: Public Discussions About Police Stops and Ethnic Profiling in Finland

Large-scale public discussions about ethnic and racial profiling started in Finland in 2008, although the history of the phenomenon is clearly longer. In particular, the Roma minority has suffered from extensive police control throughout the post-independence era. While police controls of the Roma have raised public concern, most debates concerning police stops have focused on identity checks conducted as part of internal immigration controls. This chapter analyses the different phases in the public discussions, their framing and central actors, as well as the legislative effects of the debates. We identify three phases: (1) the emergence of the public discussions on ethnic profiling, (2) the legal reform in 2013–2015 and (3) the intensification of the public debates after the legal reform. In the first and second phases, the main actors are the Minority Ombudsman, other authorities and European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI). In the third phase, the representatives of the police are challenged by non-discrimination authorities, journalists, civil society organisations, researchers and individuals reporting ethnic profiling. The public debates have also shifted from ethnic and racial profiling to cover racism in the police more broadly.