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.