A recent survey revealed that 63 per cent of Finns would accept human rights violations to enforce the debated border act.
The survey was conducted in the context of enabling the long-debated Border Security Act, which will be presented to the parliament on July 19. 24 per cent of Finns expressed that they were entirely against human rights violations and 13 per cent were unable to voice their views.
The survey´s respondents emphasised that the acceptability of human rights violations in the act’s context would depend on factors including income level, family status, political affiliation, nationality and gender. 70 per cent of and 56 of women expressed the view that violating human rights would be acceptable under the circumstances of the border control.
If enforced, the Border Security Act would temporarily suspend the reception of asylum claims at or close to Finland´s borders, without allowing the migrants who are denied entry to appeal to court.
The bill targets asylum seekers crossing from Russia, after more than 1,300 people arrived in Finland, leading to Helsinki closing its border. Finland recently accused Russia of using migration as a weapon by encouraging migrants from countries including Syria and Somalia to cross the border; an assertion Russia denies.
More than 90 per cent of Finns Party and National Coalition supporters also voiced their support for border control. Only a quarter of Green League and Left Alliance supporters voted in favour. Supporters of the Social Democrats and Swedish People´s Party; those who would influence the bill the most, were divided evenly.
Also referred to as the Pushback and Refoulement Act, the bill has been estimated by several legal experts as a clear act of defiance against the Constitution. The Parliament’s Constitutional Law Committee, though, has twice shown a green light to the bill.
The bill will be voted on by the Finnish parliament on Friday, July 19.
