Freedom of association
Government plans measures to limit fundamental civic rights
In the summer of 2023, civic space and the right to strike were challenged by the Finnish governments’ agendas on industrial action and labour contracts. In September, for example, the government presented a bill to restrict the right to strike and make it easier for employers to dismiss staff and eliminate jobs. According to the proposed new reforms, political industrial action is permitted, but is limited to a maximum duration of one day. Solidarity actions are only permitted if they are proportionate to the objectives and limited to the parties involved in the labour dispute, and must be notified in advance.
In addition, the sanctions for unlawful industrial action would be tightened, with the minimum fine set at EUR 10,000 and the maximum at EUR 150,000. If the bill is passed, both employees and their trade unions may be forced to pay fines for taking illegal industrial action and, for the first time, individual employees may also be fined for continuing industrial action deemed unlawful by the Labour Court. In addition, the government has consistently stated its intention to push ahead with the proposals with or without the support of the trade unions, which were accused of lying and distorting facts by Finnish Finance Minister Riika Purra when the unions announced work stoppages, walkouts and protests in September.
The debate about the draft law, which considerably weakens workers’ rights, has reignited the discussion about journalists' right to strike. Currently, their collective agreement prohibits journalists from taking part in political industrial action. In response to the debate, Hanne Aho, chairwoman of the Finnish Journalists' Union, was quoted as saying that the weakening of the labour market is such a big problem that journalists should be able to strike if necessary, just like any other Finn.
Freedom of peaceful assembly
Massive anti-racist demonstration proceeded peacefully
More than 20,000 people gathered in Helsinki on 3rd September at the anti-racism demonstration “Me Emme Vaikene” (We are not silent). The protest, which was supported by over 100 organisations, was peaceful and without incident. The demonstrations took place amid racism scandals linked to politicians from far-right parties in the government, which had survived a vote of no confidence in September prompted by the same concerns. It was revealed that several members of the Finns Party, such as Minister of Finance Riikka Purra, Minister of Economic Affairs Wille Rydman, his predecessor Vilhelm Junnila and Minister of Interior Mari Rantanen, had posted racist messages and statements on social media or shared discriminatory private messages in the past.
The protesters called for the criminalisation of racism and argued that the announced anti-racism measures were not enough to eliminate systemic racism, a point also made by civil society associations that were excluded from the consultation process. In the following weeks, similar protests took place in Tampere, Lappeenranta, Kotka and Kouvola. Further protests in June and September took place without incident. They were directed against cuts in the education system and the government's new immigration policy, which includes measures to reduce the number of refugees entering the country and to raise the hurdles for migrants seeking Finnish citizenship or permanent residence.
Police arrests 9 climate activists during rally in Jyväskylä
On 4th August 2023, police announced they had detained nine people on suspicion of trying to disrupt the Rally Finland racing event in Jyväskylä. The detainees were members of Elokapina, the Finnish branch of the climate NGO Extinction Rebellion. In 2022, during the same event, Elokapina organised a protest that was dispersed by police using water cannons.
The police stated that they had found “substances suitable for damaging rally cars and their drivers” in the possession of those arrested. According to Kaapo Riikonen, an Elokapina activist, the substance was a harmless, water-soluble dye and there was no intention to cause damage to the vehicles. Seven Elokapina activists were also detained on 3rd August after blocking a busy street for an hour with a demonstration against the rally.
Courts rule against police action at climate protests
In June, a court fined a police officer for her role in using pepper spray against protesters from Elokapina during a demonstration against Finnish climate policy in October 2020. The court acquitted six other officers, but fined one officer, who had a supervisory role, finding her guilty of negligent breach of duty and sentencing her to a fine of 30 daily rates. The court found that she and a colleague, who were both responsible for dealing with the situation, had unjustifiably authorised the use of pepper spray against protesters. In July, the National Police Agency found that there was no legal basis for the police to prevent activists from filming, as they had done at an environmental protest organised by Elokapina in February 2023. During the protest, the police dismantled a roadblock set up by the protesters, but did not allow them to photograph or film the action.
Freedom of expression
Attacks on press freedom by political figures
During the summer of 2023, Finland witnessed numerous smearing campaigns against journalists.
On 22th June, a smear campaign was launched against Yle's Paris correspondent Annastiina Heikkilä because she criticised Finland’s new far-right government. She is not the only journalist to receive hate messages, as several journalists and researchers have reported such denigrating experiences in the previous period.
On 2nd July, Iltalehti newspaper published an opinion column written by journalist Ida Erämaa. The article dealt with the Finnish party's efforts to prevent the media from reporting on the extreme right-wing views of party members. The publication provoked widespread and personal criticism directed at the journalist. The criticism was also voiced by politicians from the Finnish Party and the National Coalition Party. These events, which were described as particularly alarming and problematic by Hanne Ah“Already, we see that some journalists avoid writing about certain topics. Systematic targeting may lead to real suffering for democracies. For example, journalists might become reluctant to critique the government's actions." Journalist Antti Yrjönen also commented on the campaign, underscoring that freedom of the press is a fundamental right and a crucial element of a well-functioning society. He went on to state that the events show how dangerous it is for a democratic society when government politicians portray the press as the “enemy of the people”.
On 19th July, three leading representatives of the Finnish media sector refuted the claims made by Wille Rydman, MP and Minister of Economic Affairs of the Finnish political party. Rydman had claimed that researchers, social media activists and journalists were spreading misinformation about the government to international media. Rydman's comments followed several controversies surrounding the new government, particularly with his predecessor Vilhelm Junnila, who resigned over allegations of far-right links, and with party colleagues such as Mari Rantaen and Riikka Purra, who have made racist and far-right comments in the past. Hanne Aho, head of the Finnish Journalists' Union, warned that such accusations could undermine public trust in academics and the media and weaken social institutions. Later that month, Wille Rydman faced a scandal after earlier private messages with racist content were published.