Prime Minister of Finland Apologizes to Chinese, Korean, and Japanese People: "Racism and Discrimination Have No Place in Finland"

On the 17th local time, Finnish Prime Minister Orpo posted on social media, formally apologizing to the people of China, South Korea, and Japan, stating, "Racism and discrimination have no place in Finnish society."

The embassies of Finland in China, South Korea, and Japan also separately released statements from Orpo on social media platforms in the three languages. In the statement, Orpo said, "I sincerely apologize for the offensive remarks recently posted by some members of parliament on social media." The statement said that these remarks did not represent Finland's values, and "racism and discrimination have no place in Finnish society."

Finnish Embassy in China's Chinese Statement

Previously, Sara Zavats, the "Miss Finland," was involved in a racial discrimination controversy after making a "slanted eyes" face and maliciously caricaturing Asians. On the 11th, Zavats was stripped of her title by the event organizers, and Zavats herself also apologized.

However, this incident did not subside but instead escalated within the Finnish political circles. According to the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, on the day when Zavats was stripped of her title, some right-wing politicians in Finland began to take "small actions." That evening, Juhani Erola, a member of the Finns Party, changed his profile picture on the social media platform "Facebook" to a self-portrait where he pulled his eyes. On the same day, Kaisa Garedu, a female member of the Finns Party, and former vice-chairman of the party, Sebastian Tynkknen, also posted photos of themselves pulling their eyes on social media platforms.

These actions sparked condemnation in East Asia, with many media outlets pointing out and criticizing them, and even drawing the attention of the country's prime minister. On the 16th, Orpo told reporters during a summit with neighboring leaders, "The racial discrimination scandal is damaging Finland's image. Personally, I do not accept any form of racism."

AFP reported that the parliamentary group of the Finns Party will hold a meeting on the 18th to discuss possible sanctions against the involved members of parliament.

Source | Global Times

Original: toutiao.com/article/7584858618491634211/

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