The far-right Blue-Black Movement has announced plans to organise an event at Oodi, the library in central Helsinki, on Independence Day, prompting criticism from antifascists and calls for a counter-protest.
The organisation said it will go through one of its pamphlets at the event, but Helsinki Deputy Mayor Paavo Arhinmäki (Left) said that he wants to see the library full of people opposed to fascism to prevent the event taking place.
Arhinmäki claimed on Instagram that the Blue-Black movement has no right to organise an event at municipal premises.
He was referring to a decision made by the council not to allow council property to be used to hold events aimed at undermining the International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination, or events held by groups whose activities encourage violence.
The organisation has not made a booking at Oodi, so the city's lawyers' interpretation is that the event cannot be prohibited beforehand.
Arhinmäki says that interpretation is absurd, noting that inviting people to the event publicly makes it a public event.
The Blue-Black movement was removed from Finland's party register earlier this year because its programme was regarded by the courts as incompatible with democracy.