19th December 2025 – (Helsinki) Prime Minister Petteri Orpo issued a formal apology on Wednesday after Finnish politicians and celebrities posted racist gestures targeting Asian people online, while the Finns Party’s parliamentary group on Thursday formally reprimanded two of its lawmakers for sharing the images.
Orpo’s statement, released via Finland’s embassies in China, Japan and South Korea, expressed “sincere” regret for the offensive posts by certain MPs, stressing that they do not reflect Finland’s commitment to equality and non‑discrimination. “Racism and discrimination have no place in Finnish society,” he said.
The Finns Party — a member of Orpo’s four‑party coalition — said it had given a “serious reprimand” to MPs Juho Eerola and Kaisa Garedew. Jani Mäkelä, who chairs the party’s parliamentary group, told local media the caucus concluded the photos “should not have been published” and warned the lawmakers against repeating the behaviour. The images, posted last week, showed individuals pulling back the corners of their eyes — a gesture widely recognised as racist towards Asians.
The furore follows an earlier incident involving Sarah Dzafce, who was stripped of her Miss Finland title after a widely circulated photo showed the same gesture. Dzafce later apologised, saying the image was private and shared without her consent, though many criticised the apology as “insincere”.
Despite the prime minister’s apology and the party’s disciplinary action, the wider debate over accountability has continued in Finland’s media and political circles. Critics at home and abroad condemned the episodes, with many Finns saying on social media that the incidents had shamed the country. “It is an irresponsible, childish, stupid act. It is obvious that it offends people,” one politician told public broadcaster Yle.
The controversy has also reignited concerns about the impact of politicians’ online conduct on Finland’s international reputation. Economic Affairs Minister Sakari Puisto told parliament on Thursday that the fallout had already affected trade and commercial activities. Finnair said its international operations had been negatively influenced by the backlash.
Questions remain over whether the political response has gone far enough. A Yle commentary on Thursday argued that institutions reacted too slowly and challenged the credibility of the apologies, warning that a deeper reckoning will be difficult while party figures blur the line between racist behaviour and “entertainment and memes”. Tytti Tuppurainen, chair of the Social Democratic parliamentary group and a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said late Thursday that “this racism uproar has not been totally dealt with yet.”
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