
SAL-AIT NEWS 1994-10-23

February: During the Finnish presidential elections the Russian foreign 
mininstry presents an official note concerning the legality of two 
Finnish ultra-right groups (IKL and Suur-Suomi) which were registered 
officially in 1993. Fascist organisations were forbidden in Finland by 
the peace treaty of Paris in 1947. Many people thought that the Russians 
tried to influence the Finnish presidential elections this way. The 
incident occurred just before the voting took place.

February 6th: A social democratic candidate, Antisaari, is chosen for the 
president in the election. His only competitor on this second run of the 
elections, the defence minister Rehn, was at this stage the only 
candidate representing the political right (I wouldn't say that Ahtisaari 
is very left either.)

March 11th: Russia offers to pay 450 million Finnish marks out of their 8 
milliard dept by exporting guns to Finland. The Finnish prime minister 
Aho says that this kind of arrangement is excellent.

March 19th: Several anti-fascist demonstrations and other actions are 
held all around Finland on the international action week against racism. 
Anarchists well represented.

March 30th: A squatted house is attacked by the police and torn down in 
Kerava. The takeover had lasted over a month. There is a brand new local 
section of SAL in Kerava. Another section is formed in Jarvenpaa during 
the year.

April 4th: The leader of Russian 'Liberal Democratic Party', Vladimir 
Zhirinovsky, visits Finland. He warns Finland to join NATO.

May 21st: 53 percent of the citizens are reported to be unsatisfied with 
the government. (Under 20 percent are satisfied.)

June 1st: A nex tax concerning widely public services is ordered to 
prepare Finland for the planned EU membership. In many occupations and 
services this new tax causes serious problems.

June 4th: An unsuccesful house squatting attempt in Kuopio. The 
anarchists well represented again.

June 24th: Finland signs a treaty with the EU concerning the possible 
EU membership from the beginning of 1995. A referendum will be held in 
October to ask the opinion of the citizens. The final decision will be 
made by the Parliament.

June 28th: After over two and a half years of occupation a squatted house 
is closed by the officials in Oulu.

August: An ultra-right organization called Isanmaallinen Oikeisto (The 
Patriotic Right) is officially registered. This did not succeed with 
their previous name Kansallinen Rintama (The National Front). They are 
trying to get registered as a party before the parliamentry elections in 
1995. To reach this they need 5000 named supporters. At this stage they 
claim to have 1500.

August: The army with the help of many politicians starts to plan 
military service for women. The mass media is widely used to get the 
approval of the citizens, especially women.

September 6th: A thread of a strike in the export branches is avoided 
when the government rejects the rising of taxes for the unions and the 
weakenings of the benefits of the unemployed.

September: After a new unemployment record in mid-summer (over 20 
percent) there is a slight relief in September: 'only' 19 percent of the 
workforce is unemployed.

October: In October a special team is founded by the president to fight 
unemployment. The first report of this team makes people to suspect that 
it is founded to fight the unemployed instead.

October 16th: A referendum is held concerning the EU membership: 57 
percent pro, 43 percent against. The amount of resisting voters was much 
higher than the mass media had claimed to be during the year.

October 18th: Immeaditely after the referendum plans for the 5th nuclear 
powerplant--buried by the parliament only a year before--were started 
again as a form of 'cheap basic energy'.

SAL-AIT
International Secreaty

