Hildén-Järvenperä, who has just returned from a vacation in the self-declared Russian annex of Crimea, says that the current Ukrainian government is a ”fascist junta” with an agenda of genocide. She has expressed astonishment at the critique she has received.
Station called into question
Hildén-Järvenperä is a deputy councillor for the west-coast city of Pori, the secretary of the Pori SDP branch and a member of the board of the Satakunta University of Applied Sciences (SAMK), which is based in the city.
The school’s student body has already called for a clear statement on Hildén-Järvenperä’s separatist sympathies. The politician herself says a lack of information is the reason her views are seen as controversial.
“I’m confused as to what exactly the students are opposing in my actions,” she says. “My intention is to inform Finns about what is really happening in Donetsk and Luhansk. Apparently the student body just doesn’t have enough information on the crisis, because I find it hard to believe that anyone would approve of genocide.”
SDP denouncement, discussions in Pori
The Social Democratic Party has sharply denounced her opinions and emphasised that the party holds a completely opposing view of the events in Ukraine. Hildén-Järvenperä herself says she and her party are on the same page, because both condemn violence. In her view, the violence is instigated by the Ukrainian “fascist junta” backed by Western powers.
Hildén-Järvenperä’s actions will be discussed by the Pori branch of the SDP, who have distanced themselves from her sympathies.
“I think it’s good that my branch wants to talk about it,” she says. “Maybe wider communication would be just the thing, because clearly the Western media don’t have enough information about what is happening in the area.”