International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest

Extract

Anarchist views and practices became popular in Finland in the radical grassroots activism of the 1990s. This new wave of social protest on such issues as racism, the power of corporations, or the exploitation of animals etched the term “activist” indelibly in Finnish public discourse. The organizational form of the social movements among the 1990s activists was usually a small, autonomous and leaderless group, even when a group was considered as a local section of a wider network, such as Suomen Anarkistiliitto (SAL, Finnish Anarchist Federation) or Oikeutta Elämille (Justice for Animals). This anarchic organization was in many ways a direct challenge to the Finnish establishment. Some Finnish authorities considered these antihierarchical organizational habits and activists' new methods of direct action as a conspiracy led by “foreign anarchist leaders.” They demanded more power for police forces and harsh sentences for those activists who were performing illegal actions such as animal liberation. Anarchists launched annual “happenings” and demonstrations, which received nationwide publicity, often because of wrangles between police and activists. Kuokkavierasjuhlat (Party of Gatecrashers, 1996–2003) was first organized by an anarcho-syndicalist federation, Solidaarisuus (Solidarity). This was a happening against the power elite and for social justice. Emphasizing the antagonist ... log in or subscribe to read full text