Finland’s Ruovesi municipality to review facility reservation policy after neo-Nazi event revelation
The municipality of Ruovesi in Pirkanmaa, Finland, is considering changes to its facility reservation policies. This comes in the wake of revelations that a neo-Nazi network had gathered at the Tuuhonen camp center owned by the municipality. The event, called the White Boy Summer Fest, was held in mid-June and was organized by the far-right group Tulenväki and the far-right fight club Veren laki.
Ruovesi’s town manager, Toni Leppänen, heard about the event through the media on Thursday and plans to discuss changes to the reservation policies to prevent similar events in the future. As the facilities are often rented by the same parties, one method could be to pay special attention to unknown renters. The camp center is rented through an online store, which presents a challenge in verifying the backgrounds of renters.
The municipality was not aware before the booking that the facility would be used for this particular event, as the reservation was made by a private individual. According to Leppänen, the camp center would not have been rented out for a neo-Nazi event. The municipality has not been in contact with the party that rented the facility after the matter came to light.
The same camp center has previously hosted a summer event by the Nationalist Alliance in 2019, which made headlines when photos and videos were published showing the faces of Finnish politicians being used as targets for archery and air rifle shooting.
The Tuuhonen camp center is usually rented by various hobby groups and families for parties, camps, and gaming events. The White Boy Summer Fest included performances by neo-Nazi bands and combat fights organized by the Active Club far-right network. The event left no traces at the camp center and did not attract attention among locals.
The White Boy Summer Fest has been held in Finland for several summers. The organizers have tried to keep the exact location details secret from outsiders. Last year, the event was held at a rental villa in Hämeenlinna’s Evo, according to Bellingcat.