Finnish politicians have rushed to condemn racist violence after two stabbing incidents at the Valkea shopping centre in Oulu have shocked Finland over the last week.
In response, all but one parliamentary party has signed up to debate far-right violence in parliament before it breaks for the Midsummer holiday.
The Social Democrats' parliamentary group leader Tytti Tuppurainen told Yle that she wanted to discuss the issue urgently, and that all parties except for the Finns Party had agreed to participate.
"Now everyone has cause to understand that far-right motivated violence is happening in Finland and is directed at innocent civilians, ordinary people and those closest to them," said Tuppurainen, who also criticised Finnish politicians for references to the 'Great Replacement' conspiracy theory.
Finns Party parliamentary group leader Jani Mäkelä said that his party was willing to discuss extremism of all kinds, but declined to join the motion for a debate as it did not want to "politicise" the issue.
Finns Party leader Riikka Purra tweeted her condemnation of "all kinds of extremist movements", and said the recent violence was unacceptable.
Expanded powers
Interior Minister Mari Rantanen (Finns) said she was shocked by the attacks, and called for expanded powers for police to stop and search people to try and prevent violence.
She denied that racist attitudes in society had led to the violence seen in Oulu over the past week.
"I wouldn't draw such direct conclusions," said Rantanen. "Whatever the motive is, the knife causes the same wound."
Condemnation flows in
Meanwhile, Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) and President Alexander Stubb both posted on the X platform (formerly Twitter) to condemn the stabbing incidents.
The suspect in last week's attack is a 33-year-old man known for his far-right extremism, while police have said the Tuesday night's stabbing was a copycat crime with a racist motive, carried out by a minor over the age of 15.
The victim wounded in Thursday's stabbing is a 12-year-old Finnish citizen with a foreign background, while the victim in Tuesday's attack is an adult male with a foreign background.
Orpo issued a statement about the matter in a post on social media platform X on Wednesday.
"The news about the stabbings in Oulu is disgusting. And likewise, their possible racist motives. Racism has no place in Finland. Violence is always condemned," Orpo's post stated in Finnish.
"My thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones."
President Stubb issued a similar statement on X.
"A new shocking act of violence in Oulu. Police suspect the motive for the act was racism. I strongly condemn racism in all of its forms. There is no place for racism or racist violence in Finland. Everyone has a right to feel safe. Only together can we eradicate racism. Only together can we build a safe Finland. My thoughts go to the victims and their families," Stubb's post read in Finnish and Swedish.