HS: Majority wants to close border if flow of eastern arrivals continues

Some 75 percent of respondents also said they believed Finland could disregard some of its international obligations.

A group of people queuing in front of a car park. Next to it, a line of bicycles in a snowy landscape. A border guard walks alongside the queue.
The Finnish Border Guard escorts a group of migrants at the international border crossing at Salla, Finnish Lapland, on 23 November 2023. Image: Jussi Nukari / Lehtikuva
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Most people in Finland would like to close the entire eastern border if the arrival of asylum seekers there continues, according to a survey by Helsingin Sanomat.

The poll commissioned by the daily asked respondents whether Finland should seal off the eastern border if the current situation continues. Seventy-five percent of respondents were of the opinion that a full closure would, in this case, be optimal.

At the same time, nearly three-quarters of the respondents also said they believed that the government can disregard some obligations related to Finland's international agreements should the security situation, in their opinion, necessitate it.

The government on Friday announced it was establishing registration centres to process eastern border arrivals.

The poll, conducted as an online panel this past Thursday and Friday by Kantar, drew responses from some 1,400 participants.

The margin of error was 2.6 percentage points both ways.

This week's All Points North podcast asks why Finland has struggled to close the border, and what its obligations are to those seeking asylum. Listen to the episode via this embedded player, on Yle Areena, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Can Finland close the Russian border?

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