On Tuesday the Helsinki Court of Appeals began handling the case against city councilman Jussi Halla-aho, who was convicted last autumn of violating the right of peaceful worship. His conviction was based on comments he published in his blog, which the prosecutor says were inflammatory and racist remarks about Islam and minority groups. A verdict is expected in August.
The prosecutor is also seeking a conviction for inciting violence against an ethnic group, a charge the lower court dismissed. Halla-aho himself is seeking a dismissal of both charges.
The lower court found that Halla-aho, an independent politician on the right-wing True Finns’ ticket, had offended the Islamic faith in his blog by making a link between Islam and paedophilia. He had also written that Somalis were either genetically or culturally predisposed to mugging people and living on government handouts.
Image Problems for True Finns
Halla-aho is not officially a member of the True Finns’ Party, but he runs on the party’s ticket. The party, which has tried hard to shake off an image of being racist itself, could be thrown into a bad light if Halla-aho’s conviction is upheld.
“The conviction has labelled both Jussi Halla-aho as an individual and probably the True Finns indirectly, but Halla-aho is the one in the dock and not the True Finns’ Party,” said party chair Timo Soini last September, when the lower court issued its verdict.