Protest march

I happened upon a protest march today on a busy street in the center of town. All the signs and speakers were only in Finnish, so I'm not sure what the issues were. With so many tourists around (from the EU if not the US), it's too bad they didn't include a few English signs. From some of the demonstrators and gear, it seemed to be a protest demanding better rights for the disabled.

You can see a hearse in this shot in the demonstration.

Here's another view of the demonstrators, with a coffin covered in the blue and white flag of Finland.

Several impassioned speakers were on the sidewalk. Two police cars were parked at either end of the parade, but the police seemed just to be watching from the sidelines.

I have found handicapped access here much better than in central Europe - break-away curbs, elevators and escalators, and ramps in many public buildings. Still, the U.S. is far and away superior in handicapped access to anything I have seen in Europe, presumably because of our Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). As for health care for the disabled, it's hard to imagine how any European system of health care could be worse than the mish-mash of private health insurance in the U.S.

NOTE: Click on any image in this blog to see it full-size.