Former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin criticized her successor for forming a coalition with the far-right Finns Party, which has been hit by three racism scandals since taking office.
“It is no surprise that the Finns are a racist party,” Marin said during her Social Democrat party’s summer press conference on Wednesday.
She added that investigations of members of Cabinet from the Finns Party reveal “the darkest racist and dehumanizing views,” highlighting “shocking language about the value system and human image of the government’s politicians,” as Finnish media reported.
Marin — who stepped down after losing an election in April — added that her party cannot accept how the Finns Party and Prime Minister Petteri Orpo are undermining the basic values of a democratic society. She said Orpo — leader of the conservative National Coalition Party — had accepted racism in the ranks in exchange for being able to govern.
The Finnish government has been hit with three racism scandals in quick succession.
After only 10 days in office, the economy minister, Vilhelm Junnila, resigned after making comments about Nazis and for attending a far-right event in 2019 that had links to neo-Nazis. Deputy Prime Minister Riikka Purra later came under fire for making racist comments in online blog posts published in 2008. Purra did not resign.
Then Junnila’s replacement, Wille Rydman, was revealed to have used racial slurs in private messages with his then-girlfriend in 2016, according to Helsingin Sanomat. He remains in post.
Sanna Marin says Finns Party racism scandals ‘no surprise’
Source: Viral Showbiz Pinay
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