Court dismisses charges against Petteri Kalliola for inciting hatred in Finland

The Pohjanmaa District Court has decided to dismiss the charges against Petteri Kalliola, who once ran as a municipal election candidate, for inciting hatred against a group of people. Kalliola’s responses to a political quiz by Yle in spring 2021 attracted significant attention and eventually led to his resignation from the National Coalition Party. The ruling is not yet final, and there is an option to appeal to a higher court.

In the political quiz, candidates were asked whether their city should promote diversity across neighborhoods. Kalliola replied that he completely disagreed and added a comment suggesting that poor individuals and certain ethnic minorities should be concentrated in one area for easier identification. In another response, he claimed that Finland needed working-age immigrants, not “parasites” supported by Finnish taxpayers. Following these responses, Kalliola expressed his disappointment, stating that his answers were a low point and did not reflect his true values.

In February 2023, prosecutors decided to press charges for incitement against a group of people. At that time, Kalliola mentioned he was tired of the issue, clarifying that his intention was never to incite anyone against others and that his comments stemmed from his poor mental state at the time. The court concluded that the negativity in Kalliola’s writing was subtle and did not explicitly suggest criminal behavior or endorse violence. The court ruled that his statements fell within the bounds of permissible provocation. In the spring 2021 municipal elections, Kalliola received just nine votes.