Faoi dheireadh Mhí na Bealtaine chuaigh scéala uafásach nua ar fud na meán san Fhionlainn: bhí fear óg ag scaoileadh urchar ó mhullach tí i lár chathair Hyvinkää i ndeisceart na Fionlainne, cuíosach cóngarach do Heilsincí, príomhchathair na tíre.
Mharaigh piléir na raidhfile beirt dhaoine óga, agus iad ina ndaltaí sa pholaiteicnic chéanna leis an lámhachóir. Thairis sin, gortaíodh seachtar eile, agus duine acu, póilín óg mná, ina luí faoi dhianchúram san ospidéal inniu féin, chomh dona is a goineadh í.
Le cúpla bliain anuas, is gnách le radacaigh na heite deise san Fhionlainn a bhagairt go dtosóidh siad, nó lucht a dtacaíochta, “ag vótáil ó mhullach an tí” – is é sin, ag lámhachadh ar aon duine atá ag dul thar braid – mura dtabharfar isteach dá gcuid éileamh. Mar sin, iad siúd a mbíonn diansúil acu ar ghníomhaíochtaí na n-antoisceach Fionlannach ar an Idirlíon tháinig sé go réidh leo na himeachtaí seo a shamhlú leis an eite dheis. Is deacair a rá, áfach, an raibh cúiseanna polaitiúla ar bith leis an tragóid seo.
Níorbh é an lámhachadh in Hyvinkää an chéad bhabhta spraoimharfóireachta den chineál seo sa tír le déanaí, nó is cuimhin lena lán taobh amuigh den Fhionlainn féin na ródaigh i Jokela agus in Kauhajoki. Is í an difríocht is mó idir na himeachtaí in Hyvinkää agus an dá ócáid roimhe seo ná nár chuir an ciontóir lámh ina bhás féin, agus mar sin, is féidir é a cheistiú faoina chuid tucaidí. De réir na nuachtán, áfach, ní raibh sé ann an cion a mhíniú ar aon nós nuair a chuaigh ceastóireacht air.
Maidir leis na tucaidí polaitiúla, thug an ciontóir le fios ar a leathanach Facebook go raibh sé ag tacú le páirtí na bhFíor-Fhionlannach, an páirtí tuathghríosóireachta a bhfuil an-tionchar ag an eite dheas radacach air. Tá polaiteoir amháin de chuid an pháirtí, fear óg ó thuaisceart na Fionlainne a raibh lámh aige i ndréachtadh an chlár oibre don pháirtí, tar éis a rá go hoscailte go raibh an “vótáil ó mhullach an tí” ag bagairt ar an tír amach anseo. Ós fear óg ocht mblian déag an ciontóir nach raibh mórán céille aige do chúrsaí polaitíochta pé scéal é, bheimis ag dul thar fóir dá nglacfaimis leis scun scan go bhfuair sé an smaoineamh ó bholscaireacht an pháirtí. Mar sin féin, ní féidir neamhshuim a dhéanamh den bhaint ach an oiread.
Cé go bhfuil sé incheaptha gurb inspioráid don chiontóir é an chaint go léir faoin “vótáil ó mhullach an tí”, is dócha go raibh fadhbanna pearsanta aige den chineál is dual d’fhir óga, agus é curtha thar a acmhainn acu faoi láthair. Níor éirigh a chuid staidéir leis, agus is dócha go raibh sé in éad leo siúd a bhí ar tí céim a bhaint amach as an scoil chéanna, ós daoine acu siúd a bhí mar thargaidí acu. Bhí luaidreáin ann faoi dheacrachtaí grá chomh maith. Pé scéal é ba spreagadh é an ródach do dhiospóireacht chuimsitheach faoi chruachás na bhfear óg sa tír, faoin dóigh a bhfuil ag dul de chuid acu fódú ceart a dhéanamh sa saol.
Aistritheoir agus teangeolaí é Panu Petteri Höglund a d’fhoghlaim Gearmáinis, Polainnis agus Rúisis in Ollscoil Åbo Akademi san Fhionlainn.
Towards the end of May, a new horror story was carried by Finnish news media: a young man shooting from a rooftop in the centre of Hyvinkää, a town in southern Finland not very far from the capital Helsinki.
The rifle bullets killed two young people and wounded seven others, one of them a young policewoman hurt so badly that she is still in intensive care.
For some years now, right-wing radicals in Finland have been making threats that they, or their followers, will start “voting from the rooftops” – in other words, shooting indiscriminately at passers-by – if their demands are not satisfied. Those who have been monitoring extremist activities on the internet could thus not help associating this incident with the radical right. It is difficult to say, however, whether this tragedy had any political causes.
The shooting in Hyvinkää wasn’t the first killing spree of its kind in the country; even outside Finland lots of people still remember the killings in Jokela and in Kauhajoki. The latest incident differs from the other two in that the offender didn’t commit suicide and can thus be questioned about his motives. But according to the newspapers, he hasn’t been able to explain the crime in any way under interrogation.
As regards the political motives, the offender pointed out on his Facebook page that he was supportive of the party of the True Finns, the populist party strongly influenced by the radical right. At least one politician of this party, a young man from northern Finland who was engaged in drafting the party’s political agenda, is on record saying openly that “voting from the rooftops” was threatening the country. As the offender is an 18-year-old with little understanding for politics, we would be going too far if we accepted too uncritically that he got the idea from the True Finns’ propaganda. However, the connection can’t entirely be discarded either.
Although it is thinkable that the offender was inspired by all that talk about “voting from the rooftops”, it is probable that he had personal problems typical of young men, which he couldn’t cope with. He had failed in his studies, and was probably jealous of those who were about to get a degree from the same school, targeting some of them. There have been rumours about difficulties with love, too.
In any case, the incident has inspired comprehensive discussion about the predicament of young men in the country, and their lack of success in establishing themselves in life.
Panu Petteri Höglund is a translator and linguist who studied German, Polish, and Russian at Åbo Akademi University in Finland.
