Cleaning costs remain unclear after vandalism of Finnish Parliament’s façade in Helsinki

The final cleaning costs related to the defacement of the Finnish Parliament’s façade remain difficult to estimate. According to Pertti Rauhio, the director of administration for Parliament, cleaning efforts will continue next week. “We do not yet know the costs, but it won’t be free. Expenses increase every time we assess how to proceed with the cleaning,” he stated. Parliament is collaborating with the National Museum of Finland and proceeding based on its guidance.

The first cleaning effort was carried out by the Parliament’s own staff, supplemented by rented lifts. Moving forward, the cleaning will be conducted as a contracted service. Rauhio emphasized that the outcome of the cleaning must leave no trace of the vandalism. “It must be such that there are no marks left from the mess,” he added. He also anticipates that the clean-up will take as long as necessary, contradicting claims from nearby sources that it should be straightforward because the substance is water-soluble.

In parallel, the Helsinki police are continuing the technical investigation related to the vandalism of the Parliament House and reviewing video footage. According to investigator Jari Korkalainen, the extent of the damages is not yet known, and the police are awaiting a compensation claim from Parliament. Ten individuals who were arrested have been released after being questioned, though no new information has surfaced regarding their motives.

The environmental group Extinction Rebellion has previously stated that the vandalism was part of a protest against peat extraction, in collaboration with the Swedish climate movement Återställ Våtmarker, which translates to “Restore Wetlands.” The police are still examining the paint used in the vandalism, which is reportedly mixed with corn starch and applied with fire extinguishers, resulting in red stains on the columns reaching several meters high.