SAL-AIT NEWS 1994-10-23 February: During the Finnish presidential elections the Russian foreign mininstry presents an official note concerning the legality of two Finnish ultra-right groups (IKL and Suur-Suomi) which were registered officially in 1993. Fascist organisations were forbidden in Finland by the peace treaty of Paris in 1947. Many people thought that the Russians tried to influence the Finnish presidential elections this way. The incident occurred just before the voting took place. February 6th: A social democratic candidate, Antisaari, is chosen for the president in the election. His only competitor on this second run of the elections, the defence minister Rehn, was at this stage the only candidate representing the political right (I wouldn't say that Ahtisaari is very left either.) March 11th: Russia offers to pay 450 million Finnish marks out of their 8 milliard dept by exporting guns to Finland. The Finnish prime minister Aho says that this kind of arrangement is excellent. March 19th: Several anti-fascist demonstrations and other actions are held all around Finland on the international action week against racism. Anarchists well represented. March 30th: A squatted house is attacked by the police and torn down in Kerava. The takeover had lasted over a month. There is a brand new local section of SAL in Kerava. Another section is formed in Jarvenpaa during the year. April 4th: The leader of Russian 'Liberal Democratic Party', Vladimir Zhirinovsky, visits Finland. He warns Finland to join NATO. May 21st: 53 percent of the citizens are reported to be unsatisfied with the government. (Under 20 percent are satisfied.) June 1st: A nex tax concerning widely public services is ordered to prepare Finland for the planned EU membership. In many occupations and services this new tax causes serious problems. June 4th: An unsuccesful house squatting attempt in Kuopio. The anarchists well represented again. June 24th: Finland signs a treaty with the EU concerning the possible EU membership from the beginning of 1995. A referendum will be held in October to ask the opinion of the citizens. The final decision will be made by the Parliament. June 28th: After over two and a half years of occupation a squatted house is closed by the officials in Oulu. August: An ultra-right organization called Isanmaallinen Oikeisto (The Patriotic Right) is officially registered. This did not succeed with their previous name Kansallinen Rintama (The National Front). They are trying to get registered as a party before the parliamentry elections in 1995. To reach this they need 5000 named supporters. At this stage they claim to have 1500. August: The army with the help of many politicians starts to plan military service for women. The mass media is widely used to get the approval of the citizens, especially women. September 6th: A thread of a strike in the export branches is avoided when the government rejects the rising of taxes for the unions and the weakenings of the benefits of the unemployed. September: After a new unemployment record in mid-summer (over 20 percent) there is a slight relief in September: 'only' 19 percent of the workforce is unemployed. October: In October a special team is founded by the president to fight unemployment. The first report of this team makes people to suspect that it is founded to fight the unemployed instead. October 16th: A referendum is held concerning the EU membership: 57 percent pro, 43 percent against. The amount of resisting voters was much higher than the mass media had claimed to be during the year. October 18th: Immeaditely after the referendum plans for the 5th nuclear powerplant--buried by the parliament only a year before--were started again as a form of 'cheap basic energy'. SAL-AIT International Secreaty