Espoo rejects compensation claims over Suvivirsi school hymn case

The city of Espoo will not pay compensation to a claimant who argued that singing the traditional Finnish school hymn Suvivirsi in a graduation ceremony constituted discrimination, Yle reports.

In its decision, the city cited a constitutional law committee opinion stating that school celebrations—even when including hymns like Suvivirsi—do not qualify as religious events. Officials concluded there were no grounds for compensation, as neither the claimant nor their child had faced discrimination.

The case follows a May ruling in which Espoo received a €10,000 conditional fine for requiring a student to listen to Suvivirsi and Varpunen jouluaamuna (The Sparrow on Christmas Morning) during a school event.