Christians in Finland are having a hard time of it lately. On the heels of the Finnish Supreme Court convicting MP Päivi Räsänen of “hate speech” over a booklet on the biblical view on homosexuality, now the country is going after mentions of God in songs sung at school graduations.
Finland
Finland’s president on why he believes Canada could — eventually — be part of the EU
Finnish President Alexander Stubb says he exchanges messages with Prime Minister Mark Carney almost every day.
“We’re tight,” Stubb said with a smile.
Now, Stubb and Carney have the opportunity to talk in person.
Stubb is in Ottawa for his first official bilateral meetings with Canada’s prime minister. The pair are working to develop trade and defence ties, according to Carney’s office.
Not sure how long the EU has left and besides I thought we were on the waiting list for the Great Big China Co-Prosperity Sphere?
Europe now treats Christian views as criminal
In what has become known as the ‘Bible trial’, Christian politician Päivi Räsänen was criminally convicted last week of ‘hate speech’ in Finland’s Supreme Court. Her successful prosecution was based on a 21-year-old church pamphlet, which simply re-stated Christian sexual ethics. The verdict, the culmination of a seven-year witch hunt carried out by Finnish authorities, is perhaps the clearest illustration yet of Europe’s censorship crisis.
‘You can’t buy a wife’ class
Who knew that bringing people from other cultures might create problems? Yes, problems such as “you can’t buy a wife here,” or women don’t like to be touched in public.
Yes, you can’t make this stuff up, but it is reality in a place called Finland. Remember that quiet country where Finnish blondes made the cover of certain popular magazines? This is not your father’s Finland, if you know what I mean.
Inside TikTok town: vast data centre sparks Chinese spying fears
For Finland’s small city of Kouvola, the centre would bring money and jobs. But the social media giant as the tenant poses a political headache for Helsinki
Kouvola needs all the jobs it can get. Young Finns who have not already left a small city so drab it could be stuck in the Soviet Union struggle to find work.
So when an international company called Hyperco announced it would exploit the freezing north’s temperatures and ready access to cold water to build a data centre in the area, there was general acceptance of it being a pretty good thing.
After all, the few million euros paid for a parcel of empty land seemed a good deal for everybody.
Football, ice hockey … shooting? Finland hopes hobby will boost national defence
Finland plans to open more than 300 new shooting ranges to encourage more citizens to take up the hobby in the interest of national defence.
It is hoped that shooting in the Nordic country – which last year became Nato’s newest member and which shares a 830-mile (1,330km) border with Russia – could become as popular as football or ice hockey.
There are about 670 shooting ranges in Finland, down from about 2,000 at the turn of the century. By 2030, the government plans to increase the number to about 1,000.
We Cannot Say We Weren’t Warned
It might seem overblown to call this appeals hearing the Trial of the Century. It’s not. The ability of people in every society of the West to speak freely about what they believe is true is on trial.
Believe it or not, the Trial of the Century just happened in a courtroom in Helsinki. The Finnish parliamentarian and physician Päivi Räsänen this week returned to the dock to face hate crimes charges for having quoted the Bible in defense of Scripture’s teaching on homosexuality.
While it is not altogether surprising that yet another Christian has been brought up on charged of blaspheming against LGBTs—who have been elevated from ordinary people, as equal as anybody else, into liberalism’s divinities—a statement the Finnish prosecution made in the trial’s opening raised the proceedings from an ordinary example of post-Christian liberalism’s contempt for the faith and free speech, into something epochal. Attention must be paid.
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True Finns: “Get Tough on Migrant Crime”
The national-conservative True Finns party (PS) announced its intention to get tough on migrant gang crime if elected. Emphasising ties with migration could put wind in PS’ sails with only a few weeks before Finland heads to the polls.
Helsinki’s chief detective said recently that “gang crime has become the new normal in Helsinki;” PS politicians say it was sadly predictable. According to them, lax measures on mass immigration are at the root of the problem and must be tackled.
True Finns, Most Popular Party With Young Voters
… This follows a bigger political trend across Europe, as young people increasingly turn to nationalist and conservative solutions to the problems caused by mass immigration, and the value of law and order. Last autumn in neighbouring Sweden, the national-conservative Sweden Democrats became the second biggest party, notably doubling their support among voters aged 18 to 21. It also mirrors similar trends in France and Hungary.
Finland’s PM Sanna Marin denies taking drugs after video leaked of her partying
She was recently dubbed “the coolest politician in the world”, but Finland’s prime minister has had to deny taking illegal drugs after videos were leaked of her dancing, drinking and singing at a raucous party.
Among the 20 or so people at the party were artists, TV hosts, an MP, a celebrity stylist and a social media influencer.
In the leaked video footage, unidentified people are heard shouting about “flour”, which is a slang term for cocaine in Finland.
Finland’s Prime Minister @MarinSanna is in the headlines after a video of her partying was leaked today.
She has previously been criticized for attending too many music festivals & spending too much on partying instead of ruling.
The critics say it’s not fitting for a PM. pic.twitter.com/FbOhdTeEGw
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 17, 2022
Who are ‘terrorists’ Turkey wants from Sweden and Finland?
Nato has formally launched the process to bring Sweden and Finland into its military alliance. But a key condition for Nato member Turkey is the handover of more than 70 people described by its president as terrorists.
The leaders of the two Nordic nations say they are taking the issue seriously, but ultimately extradition is up to the courts not politicians. So who does Turkey want and could they ever be deported to Ankara?
Why has Erdoğan doubled down on threat to veto Nordic Nato bids?
After initial hesitation about the seriousness of Turkey’s objections, its president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has doubled down on his threat to veto Finland’s and Sweden’s applications for membership of Nato, saying there is no point in either country sending delegations to Ankara to persuade him otherwise.
On Wednesday, he also extended his demands from the two he outlined on Monday to 10, leading to claims that he is using blackmail.
Turkey objects as Sweden, Finland seek NATO membership
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden on Monday decided to join neighboring Finland in seeking NATO membership, ending more than two centuries of military nonalignment in a historic shift prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The move drew strong objections from Turkey, a key NATO member who declared the two nations should not be allowed to join because they have been too lax in taking action against Kurdish militants. Countries can only join NATO if all current members agree.
Finland must apply to join Nato without delay, say president and PM
Finland must apply to join Nato without delay in the wake of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, its president and prime minister have said, confirming a historic change in the Nordic country’s security policy after decades of military non-alignment.
Sauli Niinistö and Sanna Marin made the call in a joint statement, adding: “We hope that the national steps still needed to make this decision will be taken rapidly within the next few days.”
Nato membership would strengthen Finland’s security, the two leaders said, and as a member of Nato: “Finland would strengthen the entire defence alliance. Finland must apply for Nato membership as a matter of urgency.”
Update – Finland Nato: Russia threatens to retaliate over membership move
Russia has said it will be forced to take “retaliatory steps” over its neighbour Finland’s move to join Nato.
A foreign ministry statement said the move would seriously damage bilateral relations, as well as security and stability in northern Europe.
Earlier, Finland’s president and PM called for the country to apply for Nato membership “without delay”.
European politician condemns Trudeau’s “human rights violation” against convoy
A Finnish politician is calling on the European Union (EU) to denounce Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s violent crackdown on peaceful trucker convoy protesters in Ottawa.
Member of European Parliament (MEP) Laura Huhtasaari wrote to the Vice-President of the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy demanding the EU clarify where it stands on Trudeau’s actions.