Finns Party group stays on bus at Helsinki shopping centre

A group of Finns Party politicians and supporters stayed aboard their bus during a planned visit to Puhos shopping centre in eastern Helsinki after party security staff judged it could pose a safety risk, Yle reported. Local people interviewed by Yle said they consider the centre safe, while it remains unclear who made the decision and what threats were anticipated.

The group arrived at Puhos’s car park on Saturday. It included Finns Party deputy chair Simo Grönroos and MP Pekka Aittakumpu. The visit was part of the party’s Kokoontumisajot event, held over the weekend at Hämeenkylä Manor in Vantaa.

Finns Party councillor and parliamentary candidate Sini Laine said the party’s own security staff had advised against getting off the bus because recognisable party figures might face a safety risk. Laine had initially said parliamentary security staff were on board, but Parliament’s security director, Aaro Toivonen, told Yle that no Parliament security personnel were present. Laine later clarified that the guards belonged to the party.

Laine said she was surprised by the decision. She argued that the party should be free to visit the centre and communicate its views, including on women’s rights, even though it criticises immigration.

Shakur Nuur, who runs a phone shop at Puhos, and non-fiction writer Joonas Kervinen told Yle they do not consider the centre dangerous. Kervinen, co-author of a book about Puhos, said he had spent more than a decade in the area without feeling threatened. Nuur described it as a multicultural place where Finns also live and said visitors were welcome.

The episode’s main organiser, Marika Sorja, an aide to Finance Minister Riikka Purra, had not responded to Yle’s request for comment by early Monday evening. The reason for the security assessment and who decided the group should remain on the bus were therefore unclear.