When I arrived in Finland I knew very little about Finnish History and nothing about the dispute on Russian border. Of course I knew that they are neighbours and because of the war with Ukraine their situation was aslo difficult. 

 In the months to come, I gained a first-hand understanding of the complex dynamics between the two nations.

Finland's relationship with Russia surfaced in many conversations among students and teachers during lessons at Kallion Lukio. The problems regarding  this relationship was attributed to Finland's decision to join NATO and also Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which led to the imposition of several sanctions. 

Now labeled as a hostile country by Moscow, Finland found itself at the centre of this political  storm. They also had problems with Hungary not wanting them in Nato but that was another issue we discussed with Niina during the lunch break.

In recent weeks, tensions escalated so Finland decided to close most of its borders with Russia. It was a major piece of news!

Just three days ago, the last remaining open border was also closed. The decision was made because of the increasing number of asylum seekers entering Finland from Russia. 

Based on the news more than 900 people, coming from countries like Somalia, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria, crossed the border in November. The suspicion arose that Russia might be directing asylum seekers to the border to punish  Finland for the cooperation with the United States.

In the eyes of my teacher, this move by Russia represents a concrete example of a modern hybrid war strategy. It demonstrates how geopolitical tensions can manifest in unconventional ways, impacting not only diplomatic relations but also influencing the lives of ordinary people seeking refuge. 

As an exchange student from Hungary, this unexpected exposure to international affairs provided me with a unique opportunity to witness the real-time effects of political decisions on a nation and its people.

Young Finnish people do not like politics (some of the do of course) and very few of them want to vote. I knew one of them, Mitro, who was already a party member and very active in organizing political events and strikes in the school.

This is a problem as I learnt but now with the situation with Russia and the new government more and more are not satisfied with the current political paletta.

  Finland's new government started working in June this year and it is considered the most right-wing government in their history. People I met are worried because of the new government’s vision for Finland on the international stage is not the best and the laws or the regulations they want to impose on Finland's University system and education a worrying especially the young people. 

Here is Mitro's post about his introduction in the Campaign.

The election for the student government:

One morning when I arrived at school, I met a surprising sight—students were having a strike both outside and inside the school building. The demonstration was a collective response against the education policies of Petteri Orpo's new government, particularly the planned cuts in study and housing support for university students. The strike, I was told, spread from university students to high schools, including Kallio in Helsinki ( I think no other school in Helsinki had that big protest as we did).

The students' concerns were published on school Instagram page capturing the essence of their protest. The main focus was on emphasizing the potential harmful effects of government cuts on students' lives.One of the girls, the vice-chairman of the Kallio high school student union board, confirmed the takeover through loudspeakers, clarifying that while the student union board wasn't organizing it, they supported the students' right to express their opinions.

She talked about different backgrounds of students ( I Had one of my classmates to translate), emphasizing that not everyone has the same support from home. The students wanted to draw attention to their worries about how their futures would be affected. The protest was inspired by a similar sit-in initiated by University of Helsinki students, reflecting a concern shared among students about financial problems.

The takeover at Kallio was peaceful, with banners displayed in the lobby and a lot of extra coffee machines and games brought in, students playing in the school hall. The students even creatively adapted their school's theme song, "Kalliolle kukkulalle," with new catchy words to strengthen their message. Despite the demonstration, teachers appeared understanding, and nobody asked or commanded them to stop the protest.

As a witness to the event, and having part of these type of protests in Hungary as well,  it was evident that the students were unified in their desire to have their voices heard. I wish we could do the same at home.