Finland Times

 

The Deputy Prosecutor General, Raija Toiviainen. File Photo – Lehtikuva.

Deputy Prosecutor General Raija Toiviainen on Wednesday expressed concern at the hard-line political rhetoric on matters related to, for instance, immigration and the Muslim community.

 

“It is a concern if intolerant, contemptuous and abusive speech becomes common,” Toiviainen said.

 

It is transforming very rapidly to hate speech, and there is no protection of freedom of speech for such, she said.

 

The debate surrounding the political rhetoric limits has become topical in the public sphere following comments posted on social media site Facebook by Perusuomalaiset (Finns Party) leader Teuvo Hakkarainen and its youth front’s Chair Sebastian Tynkkynen.

 

“All Muslims are not terrorists but all terrorists are Muslims,” said Hakkarainen on Friday in a message posted on Facebook in reference to the terrorist attacks in Nice.

 

On the other hand, Tynkkynen on Tuesday linked Islam to terrorism. He wrote, among other things, that the fewer Muslims are in the country the safer it is in Finland. 

 

Tynkkynen made follow-up comments on the same subject on Wednesday, “As long as the imams do not distance [themselves] from [Prophet] Muhammad’s wrongful teaching, and for example, the constant blowing up of new Muslims in the name of Allah. And the Muslims know this. They know the problem in their community.”