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Finland’s Amnesty head calls Israel ‘punk state’

The chairman of Amnesty International-Finland called Israel a \"punk state.\"
[additional-authors]
August 24, 2010

The chairman of Amnesty International-Finland called Israel a “punk state.”

Writing on his blog on the website of the Finnish tabloid Iltalehti, Frank Johansson recounted a visit with a friend who lives in Israel: After “several years of residence in the holy country, he has come to the conclusion that ‘Israel is a punk state.’ On the basis of my own visit, which occurred during the 1970s and 1990s for the final time, I agree.”

Johansson used the statement as a jumping-off point to deplore the actions of an Israeli female soldier who recently posted photos of herself posing with Palestinian prisoners on Facebook. A post on the Tundra Tabloids blog translates the Finnish term used by Johansson, “nilkkimaa,” as “scum state.”

The Tundra Tabloids blog questioned Johansson’s ability to lead a human rights organization while making such public statements.

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