The rebuke of True Finns MPs for offensive photos underlines the government’s commitment to fighting racism. Prime Minister Orp’s apology emphasizes the values of inclusion.
The True Finns (Perussuomalaiset) party said on Thursday it had reprimanded two of its MPs for publishing photos offensive to people of East Asian descent. TASR informs about it according to a Reuters report.
Reigning Miss Finland Sarah Dzafce lost her title for a photo on social media of her stretching her eyelids with her fingers. The eye-rolling gesture, which is commonly considered offensive and racist towards people of East Asian origin, was accompanied by the English text “eating with a Chinese”.
Parliament under public pressure
Two members of the Finnish parliament and one MEP for the True Finns party took similar photos on the networks. Both members of the Finnish parliament, Juho Eerola and Kaisa Garedew, apologized for this.
“We have seriously discussed this matter in our parliamentary group and have come to the conclusion that these photos should not have been published,” said the chairman of the Right Finns Parliamentary Club, Jani Mäkelä.
Prime Minister Orp’s apology
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo apologized to Asian countries on Wednesday in response to the scandal. “These posts do not reflect Finnish values of equality and inclusion. Our message in Finland and to all our friends abroad is that the government takes racism seriously and is committed to fighting it,” the Finnish embassies in China, Japan and South Korea said in the document.
