Finland's PM apologizes to Asian nations over lawmakers’ racist posts
Finland’s Prime Minister has issued apologies to several Asian countries after racist images posted by far-right lawmakers triggered diplomatic concern and commercial backlash, as the government seeks to contain the fallout, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said the posts did not reflect Finland’s values and stressed the government’s commitment to combating racism. His statement was released through Finnish embassies in China, Japan, and South Korea.
The controversy centers on images shared by members of the Finns Party, a junior partner in Finland’s four-party governing coalition. Finnish media referred to the episode as the “slanted eyes” scandal after several lawmakers posted photos of themselves pulling back their eyes, following an earlier social media post involving the Miss Finland titleholder.
The Miss Finland organization stripped the titleholder of her crown, saying the decision was taken in line with its principles. She later apologized and said there was no intent to offend.
Two Finnish MPs and one member of the European Parliament from the Finns Party shared similar images online. The Finns Party said it would discuss the matter at its weekly meeting.
Finnair said the widely circulated images had sparked a backlash in Asian markets, noting the airline’s reliance on long-haul routes to the region.
Orpo’s government has previously faced political pressure over racist online posts by members of the Finns Party, including a no-confidence vote shortly after taking office in 2023.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported on Finnish President Alexander Stubb’s visit to Kazakhstan.
