Finland’s Prosecutor General has announced that charges have been filed against Finnish MP Päivi Räsänen for incitement against homosexuals. This follows tweets she sent out in 2019, for comments made on a radio show, as well as a booklet published in 2004.
Räsänen is a long-serving member of Finland’s parliament for the conservative Christian Democrats, and a former minister of the interior. She is also a medical doctor and a devout Lutheran.
Her tweets questioned the involvement of Finland’s Lutheran church in sponsoring an LGBTQI pride march, and included an image of Biblical text to support her position. She subsequently appeared on a talk show on Finnish state radio show entitled ‘What would Jesus think about homosexuals?’
The booklet in question Male and female He created them was published by the Finnish Luther Foundation. Juhana Pohjola, an official at the body and recently elected head of the Diocesan Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, has also been charged in the matter.
The Prosecutor General indicated that it believed ‘that Räsänen’s statements are likely to cause intolerance, contempt and hatred towards homosexuals.’
Räsänen has denied harbouring hatred towards homosexual people, insisting she is merely articulating an orthodox and Christian view of sexuality and marriage. After her radio appearance she said: ‘I emphasized that all men, regardless of their sexual orientation, are on the same line before God, all valuable, but all also sinful and in need of Jesus’ redemptive work in order to inherit eternal life.’ She added that, ‘it is inconceivable for me that the program is suspected of being defamatory in any part.’
At the time, a complaint was laid by an unknown member of the public, but the police investigation concluded that her views represented her religious and moral convictions and were ‘protected by freedom of religion and freedom of speech.’
The prosecuting authorities have decided to overlook this.
Räsänen, who faced a prison sentence if convicted, said: ‘I cannot accept that voicing my religious beliefs could mean imprisonment. I do not consider myself guilty of threatening, slandering, or insulting anyone. My statements were all based on the Bible’s teachings on marriage and sexuality.’