The chair of the Finns Party, Finance Minister Riikka Purra, said she doubts the party will join the government's anti-racism campaign.
Purra made the statement as she addressed the Finns Party's summer meeting in Kouvola on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) formally presented the anti-racism campaign alone.
The government's initial plans for the campaign came after a series of far-right and racism scandals — mostly involving ministers from the Finns Party — which threatened to collapse the governing coalition.
But since the plans for the campaign were announced, it has remained unclear whether the Finns Party would participate in it.
"The government is of course bound to its own campaign," Purra said on Tuesday. "But when it comes to other parties also joining, I don't think we will join the campaign, based on what I know about the Finns Party."
Purra appeared to separate the government and the Finns Party's policies, even though the party is in the government. She said the cabinet makes decisions and that she doesn't believe the party will participate in the campaign.
The anti-racism campaign has faced some criticism, including from Finland's biggest trade union JHL, which last week announced that it would not be taking part in the effort.
The union characterised the campaign as a "shameless attempt" by the government to overshadow its policies that it said "increase inequality".
Orpo: "A lot to do"
As he presented the campaign on Tuesday, PM Orpo said that "every government party representative, minister and parliamentary group" was committed to the programme.
"We need to be aware, and acknowledge, that we still have a lot to do to ensure that everyone in Finland has equal opportunities. We still have discriminatory structures and attitudes, for example in education and working life," Orpo said.
Among other things, the initiative will call on several sectors to tackle racism and discrimination in the country.
Anders Adlercreutz, chair of the Swedish People's Party — which is also in the government — told a political radio programme on Yle that the anti-racism campaign was born out of necessity and that it would be illogical if the Finns Party did not join in.
"This is a joint government campaign, and in my opinion it is self-evident that the four government parties will also participate in it," Adlercreutz said.
During a speech at the Finns Party meeting, the party's parliamentary group chair, Jari Mäkelä, linked the anti-racism campaign to the rough start that the government had after it was formed.
"We have had governmental responsibilities for just over a year. When we gathered a year ago in Kokkola, many thought that the difficult summer we had was behind us. The summer was characterised by unnecessary tumult and fabricated scandals," Mäkelä told the gathering.
He suggested that there had been an effort to bring down the government — chiefly to get the Finns Party out of power —before its term had started.
In the summer of 2023, a day after Orpo formed a four-party coalition government, a state-sponsored anti-racism website was taken offline. The site (IamAntiracist.fi) was part of a joint initiative by the Ministry of Justice and the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman.
In early September of last year, thousands of people gathered in Helsinki to protest racism and the new government.