Finland's government would have started budget negotiations for the autumn on Monday. But instead, they had to spend the day discussing how to handle the racist outbursts of the far-right party Sannfinländarna.
And it was four determined government representatives who finally held a press conference on the matter in the evening, reports Hufvudstadsbladet.
My main message from this discussion is that the government does not accept statements that diminish human dignity, said Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, who represents the conservative Samlingspartiet.
The background is Sannfinländarna's vice chairman Teemu Keskisarja's statements in live TV last week, where he described immigrants as people of inferior quality and claimed that the right-wing extremist conspiracy theory that a deliberate "population exchange" is taking place is true.
The crisis deepened further after the party's chairman, also Finance Minister, Riikka Purra approved Keskisarja's statements – despite previous revelations about racism within Sannfinländarna having led to a declared zero tolerance for racism in the government.
Monday's talks resulted in a decision that both ministers and members of parliament from the government parties must follow the principles of equal treatment and anti-racism they had previously agreed on, writes Hufvudstadsbladet. If anyone breaks the principles, it will from now on have concrete consequences.
All people are equally valuable, said Finance Minister Riikka Purra at the press conference.
The government has since its inception in 2023 been marked by various revelations about racism and right-wing extremist connections, which have led to resignations and campaigns against racism.
