Finnish court convicts municipal election candidate for inciting hatred against ethnic groups

A Finnish appeals court has convicted Petteri Kalliola, a former municipal election candidate in Vaasa, of inciting hatred against an ethnic group over comments he made in a 2021 election questionnaire, overturning a lower court’s acquittal, reports Yle.

Kalliola, who ran for the National Coalition Party in Vaasa’s local elections, was fined for suggesting in his responses that poor people and certain ethnic minorities should be concentrated in a single district so their location would be known. He also wrote that Finland needed “work-capable immigrants, not parasites that Finnish taxpayers support.”

The Vaasa Court of Appeal ruled that Kalliola’s statements exceeded the bounds of free speech and met the legal criteria for incitement against a population group. The court emphasized that while freedom of expression is particularly important in political debate, it does not protect racist or discriminatory remarks that violate fundamental rights.

Judges noted that Kalliola’s proposal to segregate specific groups into designated areas demonstrated an accepting attitude toward discrimination. The court also stressed that as a political candidate, he bore special responsibility for his public statements.

Kalliola was sentenced to 30 day-fines, totaling €930 based on his income, plus an €80 victim surcharge. One of the three judges dissented, arguing for a harsher penalty of 70 day-fines (€2,170). The ruling can still be appealed to the Supreme Court if leave to appeal is granted.

In 2023, Kalliola told Yle that while he acknowledged making the remarks, he claimed they did not reflect an intent to incite hatred but were instead the result of his “poor mood at the time.” The National Coalition Party had previously considered expelling him over the comments.