Have you ever been in a situation where you witnessed racist behaviour, but didn’t dare to intervene?
The Week Against Racism will once again took place on 16–22 March 2026. The Week Against Racism is a campaign coordinated by the Finnish Red Cross that aims to raise awareness about racism and encourages people to speak out against discrimination and promote equality in their everyday life.
According to a survey conducted by the Finnish Red Cross in 2024, 82 percent of people living in Finland have seen or experienced racism aimed either towards themselves of other people. Of the respondents, 61% feel they know how to intervene when witnessing racism and 49% told they have done so.
“There is no way racism is a thing in at the university, people there are so smart, right?”
According to an equality survey conducted by TREY in 2024, 11% of the respondents somewhat or completely agreed with the statement “I have seen or experienced racism in teaching or in other situations at the university”. Of the survey’s respondents, 9,4% had witnessed racism in student activities. According to TREY’s survey, the most common forms of racism within our community are prejudices and microaggressions.
As our university community is not yet a space free of racism or discrimination, these issues must be spoken of and dealt with. Everyone must have the opportunity to influence the kind of community we create for future students.
Not all racism is overt; it can also manifest itself as microaggressions or exclusion. Sometimes, racist acts or prejudices come from a place of ignorance or thoughtlessness, and don’t necessarily require malicious intent, and that is why it is important to critically examine your prejudices and patterns of behaviour in order to ensure a safe learning and working environment for everyone around you.
What to do if you encounter racist behaviour?
Change won’t happen without active intervention, so the most important thing is to take action when you encounter racism. Don’t leave someone who has been subjected to racism alone, and don’t downplay their experiences. Speak up against racist behaviour and address inappropriate conduct.
By being silent, you normalise and approve of inappropriate conduct and leave the person to face the situation alone. Simply showing compassion and supporting those who have been subjected to racism plays an important role.
Bringing up sensitive topics and handling difficult situations can be challenging, but these are skills that can be learned. For example, the Finnish Red Cross has plenty of resources to help you practice these skills!
What to do if you experience racism?
Being subjected to harassment or inappropriate conduct is a difficult experience, but you don’t have to go through it alone. The Tampere University community offers help and support to students who have experienced harassment and misconduct.
You can contact TREY’s harassment contact persons regarding any matters related to student activities or interpersonal issues among students that occur during your free time.
The university’s harassment contact persons assist students in cases of inappropriate behaviour related to their studies. The university’s harassment contact persons also handle cases in which one of the involved parties is a member of the university staff.
Additional material for acting against racism:
Web page for the week against racism can be found here
A guide on how to speak up against racism by the Finnish Red Cross here
The results of a 2024 survey commissioned by the Finnish Red Cross on racism in Finland here
The results of TREY’s equality survey can be found here
Information on TREY’s harassment contact persons can be found on TREY’s website