‘No-one should submit themselves to oppression because of the job they choose’

The Musicians’ Union has spoken out against the Finnish Immigration Service’s decision to reject a musician applying for asylum. It would be an understatement to say that immigration and asylum seeking issues are at the forefront of the minds of many people around the globe right now.

And in Finland, the Finnish Music Council (FMC) is opposing the decision by the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) to reject musicians applying for asylum on the grounds of their profession. The MU has stated that it stands in solidarity with the FMC and the musician seeking asylum.

While Migri believes that the person seeking asylum should change their job in order to survive in their home country, the MU argued: “The MU believes no-one should have to give up basic human rights and submit themselves to oppression because of the job they choose.”

According to Migri, a musician’s profession is not an “innate, unchangeable or otherwise essential characteristic of their conscience or the realisation of their human rights”. The MU’s stance is that “persecuted artists should not be forced to stop being artists. Artists should not be persecuted for their art”.