Finland Times

 

Interior Minister Paula Risikko (. Left), Prime Minister Juha Sipilä and Labour Minister Jari Lindström spoke at a press conference on governt´s move regarding curbing extremism at PM´s official residence in Helsinki on Monday. Photo – Lehtikuva.

The government on Monday decided to take extensive measures to tackle violent extremist organisations in the country.

 

The decision was taken at a meeting of key cabinet ministers at the prime minister’s official residence in the afternoon.

 

The meeting also decided to take additional measures to prevent the dissemination of hate speech through online and investigating of hate speech crimes.

 

Measures would be taken in this regard, Interior Minister Paula Risikko told a press conference after the meeting, adding that the amount of resources for these, however, were not finalised yet, but the government will include it in a supplementary budget proposal. 

 

The meeting observed that granting money and reviewing law alone are not enough to solve the problem; it also requires an in-depth discussion.

 

The government has stated that although the law-enforcement agencies already have the power to abolish violent extremist movements, the law is not sufficiently applied.

 

The National Police Board will try to reinforce enforcement of the law on the violent extremist organisations.

 

However, according to the national police commissioner, Seppo Kolehmainen, the abolishment of an organisation based on associations is rare.

 

The Ministry of Justice, meanwhile, is examining whether the law related to six-hour pre-notice for holding a gathering needs to be strengthened. 

 

The ministry is also considering outlawing the symbols and marks of abolished violent extremist groups.  The police would have the right to intervene in using those outlawed symbols.

 

According to the government, violent extremist movements refer to those activities including violent extremism, hate speech or other activities that are prohibited by international agreements, in Finnish law, or in the general prevailing view of Finnish society, or are considered to be contrary to public decency.

 

Extremism and racism have been the burning issues in the country during the recent period, particularly after the death of a man at the Helsinki Railway Station Square.

 

A passer-by was beaten up outside the Helsinki Central Railway Station where the Finnish Resistance Movement (SVL) was holding a demonstration on September 10. The victim succumbed to his injuries at the Helsinki Meilahti hospital on September 16.