Finnish MP Päivi Räsänen has called for a repeal of all European “hate speech” laws, following her conviction by the Finnish Supreme Court.
Räsänen was initially investigated in 2019 for a pamphlet published in 2004 that promote traditional Christian views on marriage and sexuality. Despite being acquitted twice previously in the lower courts, state prosecutors appealed to the Supreme Court, leading to her recent conviction.
The Supreme Court ruled that the pamphlet, which Räsänen continued to share after she was charged, “made available to the public and kept available to the public opinions that insult homosexuals as a group on the basis of their sexual orientation."
Following her conviction Räsänen said it was false to claim that freedom of speech is “alive and well” in Europe.
Referring to Lutheran bishop Juhana Pohjola, who co-authored the pamphlet and was also found guilty, Räsänen said, “the bishop and I are ‘criminals’ for peacefully sharing our beliefs in the public square by way of the pamphlet.
“I wrote the pamphlet years before the law under which I have been prosecuted was passed. In finding me guilty, the Court acknowledged that the content in question did not incite violence or hatred. Even so, it ruled that expressing those views in that context was criminal.”
Räsänen argued that the court judgment, which orders the destruction of the pamphlet, is censorship that takes Europe back to a darker time in its history.
The ambiguity in the laws over what exactly constitutes “hate speech” also serves, she argues, as a means of censoring people who are unsure what would and would not fall foul of the law. She further warned that more people may be prosecuted for past comments.
Räsänen’s case has drawn the attention of the European Evangelical Alliance, which expressed its disappointment in the ruling and called for freedom of speech across Europe.
In a statement, it said, “The EEA affirms the dignity and protection of all people, including those who identify as LGBTQ+, and rejects all forms of hatred and violence.
"At the same time, it is deeply concerned that this ruling lowers the threshold for criminalising peaceful expression and risks setting a troubling precedent for freedom of expression and religion across Europe.”
