Kohti Vapautta!

Kohti Vapautta! (transl. Towards Freedom!) is a Finnish neo-Nazi organization.[2] It was founded in 2019, and was named after traditional Independence Day rallies.[3] According to the Finnish government, the group is the Finnish branch of the Nordic Resistance Movement, which has been banned by the Pirkanmaa District Court.[4][5][6] It is established in all major cities of Finland.[1]

Kohti Vapautta!
Foundation	2019
Dates of operation	2019 – Present
Country	Finland
Motives	Creation of a Neo-Nazi Finland Immediate stop to mass immigration Repatriation of non-Finnish descended people Self-sufficiency Withdrawal from the European Union and the United Nations.[1]
Ideology	Nazism White supremacy White nationalism Right-wing populism Ultranationalism Anti-homosexuality Antisemitism Islamophobia Anti-immigration Anti-communism Anti-Zionism
Political position	Far-right
Flag
Website	kohtivapautta.com

Formation and structure

In 2016, the Nordic Resistance Movement organized a neo-Nazi march in the Finnish capital Helsinki.[7] Before the next independence day, the Nordic Resistance Movement's Finnish branch was banned by the Pirkanmaa District Court. Organizers of an event described the 2017 march as being organized by independent National Socialists that all National Socialist movements were invited to.[8] In 2018, the Finnish Police intercepted the march and arrested leader of the banned Finnish branch of the Nordic Resistance Movement and three flag bearers, who were carrying Nazi flags.[9]

In Spring 2019, the organizers of the march announced the formation of the Kohti Vapautta! group.[2] The National Bureau of Investigation suspects the Nordic Resistance Movement to be continuing its operations under the names Kohti Vapautta! and Suomalaisapu.[10][11]

See also

• List of neo-Nazi organizations
• Tursaansydän, a symbol incorporated into the Kohti Vapautta! flag

References

1. "Usein kysytyt kysymykset – Kohti Vapautta!". kohtivapautta.com (in Finnish). 15 October 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
2. "Tietoa meistä – Kohti Vapautta!". kohtivapautta.com (in Finnish). 15 October 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
3. "Towards Freedom! – Kohti Vapautta!". kohtivapautta.com (in Finnish). 8 September 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
4. "Uusnatsien yhdistys kokoontui Tampereen pääkirjasto Metsossa – KRP selvittää, jatkaako Pohjoismainen vastarintaliike toimintaansa uusilla nimillä". www.aamulehti.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 25 October 2019.
5. "White House Releases National Strategy for Counterterrorism". www.dni.gov. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
6. Owen, Tess (16 October 2019). "House Democrats Just Demanded These Neo-Nazi Groups Be Prosecuted as International Terrorists". Vice. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
7. "Poliisi turvaa myös uusnatsien marssin – "Poliisi ei määrittele, mikä mielipide on oikein ja mikä väärin"". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 25 October 2019.
8. "Itsenäisyyspäivänä useita mielenosoituksia - myös uusnatsien marssi toteutumassa". www.iltalehti.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 25 October 2019.
9. "Police confiscate three swastika flags during neo-Nazi protest in Helsinki". www.helsinkitimes.fi. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
10. "Krp epäilee: Uusnatsijärjestö jatkaa toimintaansa korkeimman oikeuden kiellosta huolimatta". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 29 May 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
11. "Nordic Resistance Movement suspected of continuing activity despite prohibition". www.helsinkitimes.fi. Retrieved 16 November 2019.

External links

Media related to Kohti Vapautta! at Wikimedia Commons