International support for Räsänen during last day in court
Räsänen answers questions from the media. Photo Danielle Miettinen
Northern Europe
On the second (and last) day of the case against Päivi Räsänen, the lawyers presented their arguments. For the prosecutor, this is a clear-cut case of discrimination against homosexuals. For the defendants, it is not understandable that a lawyer can present these arguments.
At the start, the prosecutor stated that the Finnish MP did insult sexual minorities. Perhaps she did not mean that, but this was the effect of her actions. And that was not only the tweet in 2019 but also the interview in a satirical radio program shortly after that. And both these actions were in line with what she wrote in 2004.
That brochure "Male and female He created them" was published by a Lutheran foundation. The director of that, bishop Juhana Pohjola, is connected in this case.
The prosecutor admitted that Räsänen has much freedom to express her opinions because she is a Member of Parliament. But there is a limit: the law cannot protect insulting words and hate speech. And for the prosecutor, this is clear: what Räsänen said was incitement against a group of people.
Also, the freedom of religion does not guarantee this freedom of expression. The Finnish law protects vulnerable people and groups discriminated against by religious opinions. Räsänen attacks all people's equal value and dignity, and that is punishable.
The prosecutor holds it against Räsänen that she never apologised to homosexuals for her expressions. On the contrary, she repeated and defended her statements in numerous media interviews in Finland and abroad.
What she said was always legal
Räsänen was defended in court by Matti Sankamo. The prosecutor is trying to punish nothing less than the classical Christian teaching on (homo)sexuality. It is no secret that everything that Räsänen said has always been legal.
And above that, it is clear that Räsänen never meant to insult. Therefore, there is no motive that is legally necessary to convict somebody.
At the bottom, Sankamo said, in this case, about Räsänen's understanding of sin. Shame and sin are religious terms. In a modern democracy, it is not right to decide about these religious terms in court.
According to the defence, the opinions of the MP are not reflected correctly by the prosecutor. One example was that she said that homosexuality is a genetic deterioration. Still, the fact is that Räsänen does not think that.
The defendant of bishop Pohjola, Jyrki Anttinen, brought forward that it is wrong to quote the constitution in a criminal case. It is only the penal code that is on the table.
International support
Mrs Räsänen and bishop Pohjola were met with a lot of international support. On Sunday afternoon, there was a march in the Hungarian capital Budapest, finishing at the Finnish embassy. According to the organisers, several thousands of people participated in that.
The Russian Orthodox Church came out with a statement in support. "The Bible is a divinely revealed book", said Metropolitan Hilarion, "and the moral commandments remain normative. If quoting the Bible is now a crime in Finland, what times are we living in?"
Christian Council International (CCI) came to Helsinki in the person of director Henk Jan van Schothorst. From the United States, the former missionary to Turkey, Andrew Brunson, travelled to Finland. He was imprisoned there for two years on suspicion of terrorism during the turmoil after the coup d'etat in 2016. He brought a file with several thousand signatures of support to Mrs Räsänen.
The decision by the judges will follow on March 30.
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