Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s apology was published by Finnish embassies in China, Japan and South Korea after several Finns Party politicians posted “slanted‑eyes” images online — a controversy that has quickly become a political and reputational headache for Orpo’s governing coalition.
What Orpo said — and why it went out via embassies
In statements shared through the three embassies’ social media channels, Orpo offered a “sincere apology” for “offensive” posts published by individual members of parliament. He stressed that the posts do not reflect Finland’s values of equality and non‑discrimination, and added that racism and discrimination have no place in Finnish society.
The messaging was notable for two reasons. First, it treated the episode as more than a domestic scandal: distributing the apology via embassies in key Asian markets signalled that Helsinki viewed the situation as a diplomatic and economic risk.
Second, it explicitly linked the government’s stance to coalition discipline. The statement noted that the governing parties’ parliamentary group leaders jointly condemned the “offensive and inappropriate behaviour,” an unusually direct way of underlining that the issue cuts to the credibility of the entire cabinet.
How the “slanted‑eyes” controversy started
The immediate trigger was a photo that circulated online showing Sarah Dzafce, who had held the Miss Finland title, stretching her eyes in a gesture widely recognised as a racist caricature of East Asian features, accompanied by Finnish text referring to “eating with a Chinese person.”
After public backlash, Dzafce was stripped of the title. The decision, however, became fuel for political signalling when several Finns Party figures framed their own posts as “support” for her — and in doing so replicated the same offensive visual trope.
The Finns Party posts — and the split response inside the party
At the centre of the political storm are Finns Party MPs Juho Eerola and Kaisa Garedew, who posted similar images of themselves in squinting poses. Finns Party MEP Sebastian Tynkkynen also shared a comparable photo.
Eerola later apologised, saying he was sorry that the photo caused offence and insisting he did not intend to target people with Asian backgrounds. Garedew, by contrast, rejected the premise that she owed an apology, arguing that her post was “ordinary” and accusing the media of unfairly labelling it racist.
The divergence matters because it exposes a deeper coalition problem: even when the government line is clear, the Finns Party’s internal incentives often reward confrontation — and that makes de‑escalation difficult.
Coalition partners condemn the posts, but sanctions remain unclear
Orpo leads a four‑party coalition in which the Finns Party is a junior partner, and the episode quickly triggered pushback from government allies.
After a meeting of parliamentary group chairs, coalition leaders condemned the images as rude, inappropriate and damaging to Finland’s reputation, emphasising that elected officials should be held to a higher standard of conduct.
At the same time, the condemnation stopped short of announcing consequences. Coalition partners indicated that potential sanctions would be for the Finns Party’s parliamentary group to decide — a position that reflects both political reality (each party disciplines its own MPs) and the fragility of coalition management.
Why the reputational cost is not abstract: Finnair and the Japan market
The backlash has also been framed as a business risk. Finnair, which has built a long‑term strategy around Asian routes, has said it received comments on its Japanese social media channels urging people not to travel to Finland or fly with the airline — feedback it characterised as harmful to the country’s image and, by extension, to operations in important international markets.
Even if the online reaction does not translate directly into bookings, the episode illustrates how a domestic political spat can become a brand and trade issue, especially for a country whose economy depends on openness and international trust.
A wider European dimension: criticism from the European Parliament
The controversy has spilled into EU politics as well. Green MEP Maria Ohisalo said she raised the issue with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and senior committee leadership, arguing that openly racist behaviour by EU lawmakers can undermine diplomatic work, including parliamentary delegations.
Her point was straightforward: MEPs represent not only their national parties, but also the EU institutions they serve — and actions that trigger international outrage can carry costs beyond Finland’s borders.
