【By Observer News, Qi Qian】

In Finland, the former "Miss Finland" Sara Zavas has become a farce after being stripped of her title over allegations of discrimination against Chinese people.

Zavas posted a photo with her eyes pulled open, which led to her being deprived of the "Miss Finland" title. Subsequently, several politicians from the ruling coalition in Finland jumped out to attract attention, posting selfies making the same gesture, leading to a nationwide uproar in Finland.

According to Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) and AFP, on December 17, these clearly racially discriminatory photos have spread globally, especially causing a huge uproar in China, Japan, and South Korea. Several Finnish companies, including Finnair, warned that the incident has affected their corporate reputation.

Seeing the situation getting increasingly out of control, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin finally responded on December 17.

The report said that Marin, during a summit with neighboring country leaders, told reporters: "I said that it has damaged our country's image. It is indeed so." She added: "Personally, I do not accept any form of racism."

Photo of Finnish Prime Minister Marin Social Media

Marin said she believes the parliamentary group will handle the matter with appropriate seriousness.

On the same day, Mika Kukkonen, director of the Department of Communications and National Image at the Finnish Foreign Ministry, told YLE that the ministry and Finnish embassies abroad noticed that the related discussions were spreading in international media and social media, with netizens calling for a boycott of Finland, and the department is closely monitoring the situation.

On December 17, the chairmen of the parliamentary groups of the Finnish government unanimously condemned the posts published by the members of the "Finland Party" involved in the incident.

Among them, Jukka Koskinen, chairman of the parliamentary group of the party where Marin is located, the "National Coalition Party," told reporters: "This should not have happened. It shouldn't happen now, nor in the future." He called these posts "insulting" and "inappropriate," damaging Finland's reputation.

However, it remains unclear whether the involved "Finland Party" MPs will face sanctions, as this will be decided by the parliamentary group of the "Finland Party" later this week. However, it is worth noting that these MPs received full support within the party.

YLE mentioned in its report that the Finnish Finance Minister and Chairman of the "Finland Party" Riku Kovalainen did not condemn the issue. The chairman of the parliamentary group of the "Finland Party," Jani Maanekari, argued that although the involved MPs posted photos of pulling their eyes, "the intention was not racial discrimination." Maanekari then tried to shift the blame, claiming that the "controversy" might be related to "hybrid actions from China."

Finnish media noted that the event has attracted attention in China, Japan, and South Korea Finnish media YLE

While politicians are still trying to distort the facts, Finnish companies have already begun to feel anxious.

Finnair stated that with these posts spreading globally, the company has been affected.

Paivit Tarkkala, communications director of Finnair in Japan, said on December 17: "Our X account received multiple comments about this issue. The message conveyed by the comments is consistent — don't travel to this country, don't take Finnair." He pointed out that this has harmed Finland's image and "our business in the international market."

Some Finns who have worked with Asians for many years told YLE they felt frustrated and angry.

Harju Mascola, an entrepreneur living in China, has been collaborating with Finnish companies for decades on brand promotion. He believes that Finland's image has suffered significant damage. "Within two days, the country's brand will be completely destroyed," he said. He also pointed out that the act of pulling one's eyes with fingers is extremely offensive to Asians, "just like if you walked up to a German and gave a Nazi salute."

Professor Veli-Matti Paloheimo, Director of the Nordic Center at Fudan University, warned that the most severe social media storm may still be coming in China. He said, "I hope the situation does not escalate. However, these phenomena occur quickly, and people's reactions may be delayed."

Multiple Finnish politicians "support" Zavas' racist behavior Social Media Screenshot

This scandal started when former "Miss Finland" Sara Zavas posted a selfie on social media in November.

In the photo, Zavas used two fingers to pull her eyes open, and the caption was "Let's go eat Chinese food." This obviously racially discriminatory action caused a big stir on social media. As public opinion intensified, on December 11, the organizers of "Miss Finland" held a press conference and announced that Zavas had been stripped of her title and passed it on to the runner-up.

Many people thought the incident would end there. But what is infuriating is that several Finnish politicians took advantage of the situation to stir up trouble.

Members of the right-wing populist party "Finland Party," such as Juho Eerola, Kaisa Garedew, and European Parliament member Sebastian Tynkkynen, jumped out to attract attention. All three posted selfies supporting Zavas, making similar racially discriminatory gestures.

The UK's The Times reported that after the "Finland Party" members attracted attention, the scandal turned into a political storm.

Finnish Green Party MP Fatim Diara said that the Miss Finland incident and its political aftermath show that racism in Finland "is not an isolated event," but rather a more widespread phenomenon in Finnish political culture, undermining people's trust in the equality of Finnish society.

This article is exclusive to Observer News, and it is not allowed to be reprinted without permission.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7584629022950048294/

Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.