The newly appointed Minister of Economic Affairs, Vilhelm Junnila (Finns), has expressed regret for comments and actions that have prompted concern about possible far-right links and sympathies.
After two days of media controversy over his speech at an event held by an extreme-right group and numerous other flirtations with extremists, Junnila wrote in a Facebook post that he had made mistakes, and that he will learn from them.
Junnila, who is from Southwestern Finland, spoke at an event in 2019 organised by the Nationalist Alliance (Kansallismielisten liittouma in Finnish) in Turku to commemorate the victims of a stabbing attack that occurred two years prior. He writes that he would no longer participate in a similar event if one were to be organised.
"According to media reports, there were members of the Nordic Resistance Movement (PVL) present at the event. PVL has since been disbanded, and it is good that it happened. Their activities have been aggressive and deliberately sought conflicts. Such actions should not be given any foothold in Finland," Junnila wrote.
Election number comments
Junnila's comments regarding his previous election number, 88, have also come to light.
The number 88 is a reference used by the far right as a code for the Nazi salute, as 'h' is the eighth letter of the alphabet. Junnila happened to be assigned that number during the 2019 elections when he entered the parliament. This spring, Junnila congratulated another candidate who received the same number at a Finns campaign event.
"First of all, congratulations on an excellent election number. I know it is a winning card. This 88 refers, of course, to the two 'H's, but let's not dwell on that," Junnila said, according to Yle's election report.
Junnila said he now considers this statement to be foolish and childish in hindsight.
He describes himself as a proponent of a moderate path.
"Societal discourse is necessary. Occasionally, mistakes are made within it. I have experienced just that. I apologise and will learn from it," he wrote.
On Thursday media reported that Junnila also used a slogan referencing "gas" in his 2015 campaign, and saved a picture of the vehicle bearing that slogan under his website under the title "kaasutus", or "gassing".
Five hours after his initial apology on facebook, Junnila added a clarification in English and Finnish.
"I condemn holocaust, antisemitism and all antisemitic acts completely," wrote the minister.
The holder of the post of Minister of Economic Affairs ordinarily makes trade promotion trips abroad. Finland's biggest trading partner is Germany, where Nazi references are taboo.
Orpo: Extremist movements not accepted
The issue of Junnila's past remarks also arose during a plenary session of the Parliament, which discussed the new government program on Thursday.
Social Democratic Party MP Kim Berg asked Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) about his opinion on "such neo-Nazi events" and the participation of government party representatives in them.
Orpo responded by stating that it is clear that extremist movements are not accepted.
"Finland must continue to be a country that upholds the rule of law, that is egalitarian, and of course, we do not accept any extremist movements, be it Nazism, Stalinism, or any other activity that poses a danger to society and people. This is absolutely clear," he said.
After Berg's remarks, Speaker Jussi Halla-aho (Finns) reminded everyone that the discussion pertained to the government program. His comment puzzled Berg's social democrat colleagues.
"In this discussion, according to established practice, we address not only this government program but also all statements made by the government, including their stance on various issues," defended Antti Lindtman, the chair of SDP's parliamentary group.
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