Finnish city councillor fined for verbal abuse after supermarket tirade against newspaper editor

A Finnish appeals court has upheld a defamation conviction against a city councillor who verbally abused a local newspaper editor in a supermarket, calling her “shit,” “a sow,” “a cow,” “crazy,” and “a communist.”

The Rovaniemi Court of Appeal largely confirmed the earlier district court ruling against Ilkka Repo, a Haapavesi city councillor, who confronted Haapavesi newspaper’s editor-in-chief Anne Mattila in November 2022, according to a report by national broadcaster Yle.

The court found that Repo’s insults met the criteria for defamation, though it overturned a lower court’s additional conviction for spitting in Mattila’s direction, citing insufficient evidence. The appeals court maintained the original fine of 20 day-fines—equivalent to 20 days’ income—while ordering Repo to cover Mattila’s legal costs of nearly €1,300.

Repo had appealed the district court’s decision, denying the charges and claiming he only used the word “communist” and swore during the confrontation. He argued his intent was not to offend but to criticise Mattila’s journalism.

The incident followed a strongly worded column by Mattila that the court described as “forceful, critical, and provocative.” While acknowledging that journalists must tolerate criticism, the court ruled Repo’s remarks were intended to insult rather than engage in professional debate.

Repo, a member of the Finns Party, had previously faced public controversy. In 2025, he resigned from the Haapavesi city council amid multiple scandals.