Awakening conference
As "a new kind of opening move from the Finnish fascist movement,"1 which the organizers described in their call as ”the first ethno-nationalist conference” of Finland,2 the first Awakening conference was held in 8 April 2018 in Helsinki, including speakers from the European and US far right. The Finnish website Varis had reported in detail on the Awakening events:
"The [2018] event is organized by a relatively small group of Finnish far-rightists, a part of whom have been organizing the Independence Day 612-demonstration. The official organizers of the event are the neo-fascist internet publication Sarastus and the Youtube program Radio Monokulttuuri, which partially originates from the racist anti-immigrant ”Close the Borders” movement. From the staff of Sarastus, at least Timo Hännikäinen, Jarkko Pesonen and Jarno Alander are organizing the event. From Monokulttuuri, Tuukka Kuru, Tiina Wiik and Junes Lokka are taking part. All of the mentioned organizers are members of the neo-fascist organization called Suomen Sisu."2
"Nico Saramo and Timo Hännikäinen from Finland, Jared Taylor, Francis Roger Devlin, Greg Johnson and Paul Ramsey (pseudonym RamzPaul) from USA, Colin Robertson (pseudonym Millenial Woes) from Scotland, Ruuben Kaalep from Estonia and the Swedish-Icelandic Fróði Midjord"2 as well as "Swedish Pan-European Nationalist" Marcus Follin were all scheduled to speak at the 2018 Helsinki event.3
Several speakers and organizers had also delivered a lecture in the second edition of the Estonian neo-fascist Etnofutur conference, amongst them Colin Robertson and Ruuben Kaalep as well as one of the "main organizers of the Awakening conference, Tuukka Kuru of Perussuomalaiset Nuoret (The [True] Finns Youth [organization])."2
Taylor, Johnson, Devlin and Robertson were also scheduled to speak at the Scandza Forum in Stockholm on the 7th of April, a day before the Helsinki conference.
2019
The 2019 edition is scheduled for 6 April, and has moved its location to South-Western Finland, although the exact coordinates were not shared beforehand.
Although initially a confirmed speaker, Jared Taylor will not take part in the event since he was held back on the way to Scandinavia by Swiss police on the base of a Polish-initiated ban against him, which bars him from entering the EU until 2021. His speech was instead streamed during the conference.
- 1"The Awakening II conference in the Turku area: Antisemitic race theories and paramilitary fascist organizations," Varis, 29 March 2019, https://varisverkosto.com/2019/03/the-awakening-ii-conference-in-the-turku-area-antisemitic-race-theories-and-paramilitary-fascist-organizations/.
- 2 a b c d "A secretive far-right event in Helsinki on Sunday: international speakers united by anti-semitism and misogyny," Varis, 4 April 2018, https://varisverkosto.com/2018/04/a-secretive-far-right-event-in-helsinki-on-sunday-international-speakers-united-by-anti-semitism-and-misogyny/.
- 3“The Second Paneuropa Conference in Kyiv”, Facebook event created by the Plomin und Interregnum-Intermarium Facebook pages, October 15, 2018. https://www.facebook.com/events/308172699997826/permalink/310511609763935.
