Akaa Finns group backs councillor over racist social media posts

The Finns Party council group in Akaa continues to support Anton Murola as chair of the town’s audit committee despite racist and derogatory posts he has written on social media, Yle reports.

The group said in a statement that Murola’s ability to serve as committee chair had not changed. It said it had also taken into account the 77 votes he received in the elections, the third-highest total among Finns Party candidates in Akaa.

Eleven Akaa councillors have signed an initiative calling for Murola to be removed from the committee leadership. The signatories include the chairs of the Centre Party, National Coalition Party, Social Democratic Party and Green council groups.

The town executive board will consider the initiative next Tuesday. The chair’s proposal is for the board to recommend that the town council establish a temporary committee to prepare the removal of the audit committee’s entire leadership.

The initiative says Murola no longer has the signatories’ confidence because of his repeated use of racist and derogatory expressions.

Yle reported in July that Murola had referred to people with foreign backgrounds as, among other things, pests, hairy faces and trash. He has used the term flour faces for white people.

Akaa town executive board chair Saija Roininen of the Social Democratic Party told Yle that she did not accept Murola’s posts and condemned all disrespectful treatment.

“I am not against him as a person, but I do not accept his posts,” Roininen said.

Akaa said it had received questions about the handling of the matter and about the town’s principles of equality and non-discrimination. Town manager Antti Peltola said the town’s operations were guided by legislation and decisions and policies approved by its bodies, under which everyone is treated equally and each person’s dignity is respected.

Murola previously told Yle that those who launched the initiative had every right to do so and to establish a committee. Yle was unable to reach him for comment on Friday.

The town council will make the final decision after the executive board has considered the initiative.