Finland - June 2024

On 13 June, two children were attacked at a shopping centre in Oulu, northern Finland. A 12-year-old child was stabbed, but both children survived the attack. Police suspect a former member of the Nordic Resistance Movement (PVL), an organization banned in 2020 by Finland’s Supreme Court for hate speech against immigrants and Jews. PVL has a past history of violence. Days later, on 18 June, a teenaged boy stabbed a man who has a foreign background at the same shopping centre in an apparent copycat attack. The police suspect both incidents were racially motivated. The events have sparked debate on right-wing extremist violence and have reportedly diminished feelings of safety among Finland’s immigrant communities. Hate crimes have increased in Finland compared to five years ago, and most are racist crimes according to the Ministry of the Interior, yet violent attacks remain rare. Politicians roundly condemned the attack. A public consultation on the government’s draft action plan for combating racism and promoting equality concluded on 10 June.

Sources: Yle (1), Yle (2), Yle (3), Finnish Government, BBC, International IDEA, Poliisi (1), Poliisi (2), Ministry of the Interior