Deputy Prosecutor General Jukka Rappe has filed charges against seven police officers for pepper spraying activists from Elokapina (the Finnish branch of Extinction Rebellion) at their demonstration in the autumn of 2020. The assault and misconduct charges pertain to the use of force involved in moving the demonstrators.
Prior to being charged, the police had come under intense scrutiny for using pepper spray to disperse demonstrators who blocked a city thoroughfare as part of their protest on 3 October 2020.
The demonstrators had planted themselves at the intersection of Kaisaniemenkatu and Unioninkatu.
While initially attempting to break up the protest by other means, the police ultimately pepper sprayed the demonstrators. Police said they warned the demonstrators before spraying them.
Video recorded at the scene indicated that despite being subjected to the spray several times, demonstrators did not leave the scene. Police then physically carried protesters away. Some protesters who were carried away returned to sit back down in line with the group's tactic of non-violent civil disobedience.
The Prosecutor General began probing the incident at the end of 2020. The case includes 15 plaintiffs. The case is set to be heard at Helsinki District Court, although the trial date has yet to be set.
Police have maintained that they followed procedure. Following an internal probe in October of 2020, the National Police Board concluded that the Helsinki Police had acted according to guidelines.
Police who sprayed protesters have continued in their jobs.