Finland's PM offers apology to Asian nations amid racism scandal

Dubbed the "slanted eyes" scandal by Finnish media, the incident adds to a series of racist allegations involving members of the Finns Party, a junior partner in Finland's governing coalition.

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo of the National Coalition Party, which leads a four-party coalition including the Finns Party, expressed his apologies in a statement.

"These posts do not reflect Finland's values of equality and inclusion," Orpo said in statements released by Finnish embassies in China, Japan, and South Korea.

"Our message, both in Finland and to our friends abroad, is that the government takes racism seriously and is committed to addressing the issue."

The controversy erupted earlier this month when the Miss Finland titleholder was photographed pulling back her eyes in a social media post with the caption "eating with a Chinese person."

Sarah Dzafce, who is not of Asian descent, later apologised, stating that she did not intend to offend, but was subsequently stripped of her title.

In response, two members of Finland’s parliament and one European Parliament member, all from the Finns Party, shared similar images of themselves pulling back their eyes.

The national carrier, Finnair, which relies heavily on long-haul flights, reported a backlash from Asian markets following the widely publicised images.

The Finns Party has scheduled a discussion on the matter for Thursday's weekly meeting, according to a spokesperson. One of the MPs, Juho Eerola, told Reuters he had apologised for his post but declined to comment further.

The Miss Finland organisation issued a statement confirming that it is apolitical but emphasised that it had acted in line with its values and principles.

Dzafce did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Orpo's government had previously faced a no-confidence vote shortly after taking office in 2023 over racist online posts and statements made by several cabinet members from the Finns Party.

Reuters