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Prosecutors to consider charges against suspect in Lucia racism case

A young woman with Finnish and Ghanaian roots was subjected to a barrage of racist abuse last year after she won a public vote to portray Saint Lucia at a religious festival.

Photo shows Daniela Owusu representing Saint Lucia at Helsinki Cathedral.
Daniela Owusu portrayed Lucia, a 3rd century Sicilian saint, at a ceremony in Helsinki's Lutheran Cathedral last December. Image: Marcus Rosenlund / Yle
  • Yle News

Police in Helsinki have completed one preliminary investigation into racist messages sent in relation to a religious event last December when Saint Lucia was portrayed by a woman with Finnish and Ghanaian roots.

The case file has been passed to prosecutors for consideration of the charges.

There are currently two other investigations ongoing into the barrage of racist abuse sent to Daniela Owusu, her relatives, and the organisers of the religious festival after Owusu won a public vote to portray the 3rd century Sicilian saint in a ceremony at Helsinki's Lutheran Cathedral.

Finland's President Alexander Stubb later described the racist messages as "shocking and unequivocally wrong".

In a press release, police said that investigating officers trawled through comments on Ylilauta, a Finnish-language discussion forum, during the course of the preliminary probe. Racist content had also been published on the TikTok social media platform, the statement added.