A Finnish politician and former Interior Minister Päivi Räsänen will face Finland’s Supreme Court on 30 October, marking the seventh year of a “hate speech” case over her public expression of Christian beliefs on marriage and sexuality.
Räsänen, who has twice been unanimously acquitted alongside Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola, was charged in 2021 with “agitation against a minority group” after quoting the Bible in a 2019 tweet, a radio debate and a 2004 pamphlet.
The tweet questioned the Finnish Lutheran Church’s support for the Helsinki Pride event, asking: “How can the Church’s doctrinal foundation, the Bible, be compatible with the lifting up of shame and sin as a subject of pride?”. She included an image of Romans 1:24–27, which speaks about same-sex relations.
Speaking ahead of the trial Räsänen said: “In a free society, it should never be a crime to share a Bible verse or express beliefs rooted in faith. The burden of the legal ordeal of the past few years has been challenging, but I remain hopeful that justice will prevail — not only for me, but for the wider principle of free speech in Finland. No one should face criminal charges for peacefully voicing their convictions.”
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF)'s Paul Coleman called the case “shocking”, adding: “Vaguely worded ‘hate speech’ laws allow ideological prosecutions like this to take place.”
The defence argues that punishing Räsänen for citing Scripture would effectively criminalise the Bible itself.