Comments about foreigners made by newly-elected True Finn MP Teuvo Hakkarainen in a video interview with the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat do not constitute a crime, according to Helsinki police. The police have notified the Prosecutor General’s office that they will not conduct a preliminary investigation into the matter.
Ombudsman for Minorities, Eva Biaudet, had requested an investigation into whether Hakkarainen had crossed the boundaries of what is acceptable freedom of expression.
Hakkarainen had used the Finnish word neekeri, which is considered offensive by many black people, and said that minarets would arise all over Helsinki and that people’s sleep would be disturbed by the Muslim call to prayer, which he then mockingly imitated.
The police found that his comments constituted a criticism of current immigration policy and a demand to change it, but did not reach the level of hate speech.
“The police believe that the matter is not criminal, or if it is that it is so trivial that the prosecutor should not bring charges, " said investigating officer Jouni Niskanen of Helsinki police.