The U.K. government has barred Finnish Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen from entering the country due to Finland’s Supreme Court convicting her of hate speech.
Räsänen, who is appealing the Supreme Court’s hate speech conviction to the European Court of Human Rights, told Christian Daily International that she applied for an Electronic Travel Authorization from U.K. authorities because she planned future travels to the country.
“The application process asked me to disclose any criminal convictions within the past 12 months,” Räsänen said. “At first, I received a positive answer on June 17, but on June 30 I received a shocking message from GOV.UK that authorities canceled my application: ‘The information you provided in your ETA application suggests that you are not eligible for an ETA and it has been cancelled.’”
The Northern Ireland Assembly had invited Räsänen to speak at an Aug. 17 event titled “Faith, Freedom and the Future.” Assembly Speaker Edwin Poots extended the invitation.
Räsänen said she had already booked and paid for her flights, and organizers had prearranged the meeting at the parliament. During the same trip, the Bangor Worldwide Missionary Convention had scheduled her as a speaker.
“The canceled ETA already impacts me in other ways,” Räsänen said. “Last week, returning from a conference in California, I scrapped plans to transit through Heathrow, choosing instead to fly via Dallas in order to avoid any problems passing through the U.K.”
The Supreme Court of Finland convicted Räsänen on March 26 by a narrow 3-2 majority decision over statements expressing biblical views on marriage and sexuality in a 2004 booklet titled, “Male and female He created them.” The court fined the politician 1,800 euros, equivalent to 20 days’ wages, and ordered her to cover her own legal costs.
Her appeal follows the Supreme Court ruling that overturned two previous lower court acquittals.
“I am currently preparing an application to the European Court of Human Rights concerning this decision,” Räsänen said, “as I believe that it failed to properly take into account the freedoms of speech and religion that the European Convention on Human Rights guarantees.”
The Supreme Court’s ruling has produced unexpected consequences, she said.
“In addition to restricting freedom of expression, it has also created restrictions and difficulties related to travel and participation in meetings and conferences,” Räsänen said. “My greatest concern is that this decision has left many people with uncertainty, confusion, and fear about the consequences of exercising their freedom of speech and faith in a peaceful manner, and about where the line lies between lawful and prohibited speech.”
The Supreme Court of Finland also criminally convicted Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland for publishing the 2004 pamphlet. Pohjola received a similar 20-day fine, while his publishing house, the Finnish Lutheran Foundation, must pay 5,000 euros. The court based the convictions on the act of making and keeping available to the public a text that insults a group.
Räsänen said that the U.K. also denied travel authorization to Pohjola.
“I am a member of the Finland-United Kingdom friendship group,” Räsänen said.
“I have visited the United Kingdom on several occasions in my roles as a Member of Parliament and as Minister of the Interior. The U.K. remains a potential destination for my future parliamentary work, and I would therefore hope to be able to travel there over the coming year as well.”
Räsänen spelled out her professional credentials, highlighting her standing as a politician honoring biblical values.
“I have served as a Member of Parliament since 1995 and as Minister of the Interior from 2011 to 2015. I currently serve in the following parliamentary bodies: the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Finnish delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of NATO (NATO PA) and the Board of the Finnish Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).”
Räsänen has contacted U.K. Home Office authorities and appealed by letter to the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Shabana Mahmood.
“I have not yet received any responses,” she added.
Räsänen previously noted the unprecedented nature of the Supreme Court ruling, pointing out that the court partially censored the 2004 pamphlet and prohibited its publication in its current form. The court deemed lawful a separate social media post Räsänen addressed to the leadership of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, which referenced Chapter 1 of the biblical Epistle to the Romans to criticize the church’s support for a pride event.
While the Supreme Court admitted the pamphlet did not incite violence or threaten hostility, it still considered the text insulting to gay people as a group. Räsänen disagreed with the judgment, stating the court falsely claimed she regarded gay people as inferior.
She pointed to text in the pamphlet stating that all people are equal and of equal value. Räsänen argued the ruling creates a lack of clarity in the law, noting that nine of the 12 judges across three court levels did not see anything criminal in the pamphlet.
Räsänen has served as a member of Parliament for 31 years. A medical doctor and grandmother of 12, she has faced criminal proceedings for seven years.
