Finland's finance minister Riikka Purra (Finns) has issued an apology for a number of controversial "stupid" comments that she is thought to have written on a blog in 2008.
Those comments — written under the username "riikka" — included multiple uses of the Finnish equivalent of the n-word as well as other racial slurs, anti-immigrant rhetoric and apparent threats of violence.
A number of MPs and parliamentary party leaders expressed concern and indignation about the matter on Tuesday, with some calling for the Finns Party leader to renounce racism and violence.
Purra posted her apology on Twitter on Tuesday at 4:22pm.
"I apologise for my stupid social media comments 15 years ago and for the harm and resentment that they understandably caused. I'm not a perfect person, I've made mistakes," Purra tweeted.
"Taken out of context and evaluated in the present moment, some texts look even worse. I do not accept any kind of violence, racism or discrimination. Those who know my way of working and my values know that," she continued.
"The government program of the four parties emphasizes the primacy and importance of human rights, non-discrimination and other basic values. That's the way it should be."
The Finns Party leader, who is also the deputy prime minister, previously acknowledged that she likely posted thousands of comments in the past, but suggested they were no longer valid, 15 years on.
Purra has led the immigration-sceptic Finns Party since mid-2021. The party is part of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's NCP-led four-party coalition government, which also includes the Swedish People's Party and Christian Democrats.
However, Purra's apology came after a number of MPs and party leaders called for her to renounce racism and violence.
Government party reactions
Earlier on Tuesday, the leader of the Swedish People's Party, education minister Anna-Maja Henriksson, said that whether she actually wrote the comments or not, Purra should disavow racism, according to newspaper Helsingin Sanomat.
"Regardless of whether the username 'Riikka' is Riikka Purra or not, it would make government cooperation easier if Purra would now take a clear stance saying that any form of racism is unacceptable," Henriksson told HS.
The paper asked Henriksson whether the SPP would continue to have confidence in Purra if she does not disavow all forms of racism.
"That will be evaluated then," Henriksson said, according to HS.
Her party colleague, Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Anders Adlercreutz, condemned the posts in a tweet on Tuesday afternoon, saying they "are racist and incite violence. They are also against the spirit and content of the government programme. Such writings are unacceptable from anyone, regardless of party position."
On the sidelines of the Nato Summit in Vilnius, Finnish foreign minister Elina Valtonen (NCP) said that the Finnish government has "zero tolerance for racism," according to tabloid Iltalehti.
She said that the zero-tolerance policy is also reflected in the government programme.
"I can say on behalf of the government that there is no room for any kind of racism - not even a centimetre or an inch," she said, according to the paper.
The chair of coalition partner the Christian Democrats, Sari Essayah, echoed PM Orpo's sentiments.
"As the prime minister says, the government is committed to an equal, egalitarian and secure society, in which no one needs to be afraid. We need to work together to achieve that," Essayah's tweet read.
Reactions from the opposition
Former prime minister Sanna Marin (SDP), who has kept a low profile since stepping down three months ago, took to Twitter on Tuesday to say that "the government must directly and unequivocally renounce racism, hate speech and violence. Every person is valuable and human dignity is indivisible. Everyone has the right to live in safety, regardless of their background."
MP Krista Kiuru, who aspires to succeed Marin as chair of the opposition SDP, called for Purra to unequivocally renounce the comments which have been linked to her. She also demanded that Purra apologise, and also pointed a finger at the PM.
"It is Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's responsibility to ensure that the government fully cleans up its racist reputation both at home and for the international public," Kiuru tweeted on Tuesday.
Kiuru added that if the PM and the government do not convince Purra to apologise before the start of the next session of parliament, it would result in a confidence vote about the minister. The next plenary session is scheduled for 5 September.
"The prime minister should finally understand that politics is really not just about the task, but specifically about values," Kiuru's tweet read.
On Tuesday, chair of the opposition party Social Democrats' parliamentary group, Antti Lindtman, voiced his opinion about the matter in a post on Twitter, saying that "what a person has written on the internet before their political career is one thing."
"[But] how the Deputy Prime Minister reacted today to racist comments is a separate matter. When the deputy prime minister says that it didn't even occur to her to resign over past comments, it raises a question about what the government's line is on hate speech and racism," Lindtman's tweet continued.
President Sauli Niinistö, who is also in Vilnius at the Nato Summit, commented on the matter on Tuesday, saying that the Finnish cabinet "would be wise to adopt a clear zero-tolerance stance on racism".
The Purra uproar follows similar reactions to extremist posts by two other new Finns Party cabinet ministers, Interior Minister Mari Rantanen and ex-economic affairs minister Vilhelm Junnila. Rantanen deleted and distanced herself from some previous tweets just after Junnila's resignation.
Orpo's government took office just three weeks ago.
The latest controversy has again caught the attention of the international media, including The Guardian, Politico and Euronews.
17.22: Added Adlercreutz comment.
17.36: Added Marin comment.