Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on Tuesday that Independence Day celebrations should focus on what unites Finns rather than what divides them.
He made the statement while on a visit to Jyväskylä in Central Finland, a few days before he and his wife Suzanne Innes-Stubb will host their first Independence Day gala at the Presidential Palace on Friday.
Around 1,700 guests have been invited to the event, but one invited MP has confirmed that he plans to skip the formal party to take part in the 612 torchlight procession in Helsinki.
Stubb did not take a position about the appropriateness of MPs taking part in the march — which in the past has included the participation of far-right extremists — and chose to address the matter more generally.
"There is the right to assembly and the freedom of expression in Finland. But if extremist movements are involved, if racist movements are involved, then I condemn them. In my opinion, such things are in no way suitable in Finnish society," he said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Finns Party MP Teemu Keskisarja announced plans to join the 612 march, a move which was defended by the Finns Party's leader, Riikka Purra. While acknowledging that far-right and neo-Nazi groups have previously participated in the march, Purra emphasised that the Finns Party does not condone undemocratic practices or far-right activities.
Finns Party MP Sheikki Laakso also initially announced that he would take part in the march in lieu of the gala, but changed his mind on Monday, saying he wanted to end the "media spectacle" the announcement had sparked.
On Tuesday, Stubb said he hopes that as Finns celebrate Independence Day, they will reflect on what independence and self-determination mean to them.
"That's why my wife and I chose 'together' as the theme for [the Independence Day gala]," he said.
According to Stubb, the world has seen examples of liberal democracies where public discourse has led to deep social divides.
"I would hope that this division could be forgotten, at least on Independence Day, and that we could behave towards each other in a civilised manner," Stubb said.
Stubb also commented about an event on Monday, when he and Innes-Stubb honoured the country's war veterans and women's defence group members at the Presidential Palace.
He said that it was one of the finest events that he has attended since becoming president in March of this year.
"It left me with very strong memories, and I would like once again to thank our war veterans for making possible the Finland we have today," he said.
He also noted that at least 198 MPs will attend the Independence Day gala on Friday.
"I am very grateful for that," Stubb said.
During his visit to Jyväskylä, Stubb inspected the Finnish Defence Forces C5 Agency and visited the Cyber Coalition 24 exercise, according to the president's office.
He also met with city representatives at a lunch, where the discussion was to focus on cybersecurity issues.
Then in the afternoon, Stubb met members of the public at a University of Jyväskyä library. Later in the day he was scheduled to visit the ammunition factory Nammo Lapua, in the nearby village of Vihtavuori.