Ombudsman faults Helsinki police over protest shutdowns

Finland’s Parliamentary Ombudsman has criticized Helsinki police for failing to issue written decisions when ending Extinction Rebellion protests, Yle reports. The decisions should also have been provided to people who requested them.

In a ruling issued on Tuesday, Jari Råman said the police department acted incorrectly during several protests organised by the environmental movement in central Helsinki in May and June 2025.

The ruling followed a complaint about police ending protests without written decisions. The ombudsman said ordering a protest to end is an administrative decision that can be appealed and must be issued in writing, even when it is first made orally in an urgent situation.

Because ending a protest significantly affects the freedom of assembly protected by the Constitution, the written-decision requirement applies in full, the ombudsman said.

Helsinki police argued that the protests had no identifiable organiser with the right to appeal. The ombudsman said this did not allow police to skip writing up the decision or notifying people of it.

The criticism was made more serious by previous ombudsman rulings that had raised similar concerns. The ombudsman also asked the National Police Board to consider what action is needed, as the same problems may exist elsewhere in Finland. The board could issue common guidance to police departments on making, communicating and recording decisions to end protests.