Disgraced Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Teuvo Hakkarainen was convicted by a Helsinki District Court for sexual harassment after he attempted to kiss MP Veera Ruoho by force, according to YLE News. Hakkarainen was convicted last year for ethnic agitation.
The Helsinki District Court ordered Hakkaranen to pay fines amounting to 3,060 euros to the state and 1,400 euros in damages to Ruoho in damages as well as her court costs.
The incident took place at a Christmas Party last year at Parliament when Hakkarainen was intoxicated. He approached Ruoho grabbed her by the neck and forced her to kiss him.
On Tuesday, Helsinki prosecutor Eija Velitski said that she would appeal the decision that Hakkarainen receive a suspended jail sentence.
But on Tuesday Helsinki prosecutor Eija Velitski announced her decision to appeal the case requesting that Hakkarainen also receive a suspended jail sentence. Velitski that in the worst of circumstances, the PS MP could have caused Ruoho’s death.
While the politician saw his day in court, many are wondering why Hakkarainen does not resign as MP or why the PS, which is always blaming migrants for sexual harassment and rape, does not sack him from the party.
Read the full story here.
MP Hakkarainen’s first day in Parliament in 2011. Back then he was making racist an demeaning statements about asylum seekers.
The answer to that question reveals what is wrong with our political system and how Finnish white privilege works.
While Hakkarainen may keep his job as a lawmaker, his presence in parliament is a blow to the credibility of that institution. A white Finnish male can make racist statements, get convicted for ethnic agitation and sexual harassment, and keep his job.
As Green Party MP Ozan Yanar tweeted Monday:
“Sexual harassment is only a big problem for the PS when the perpetrator is a migrant. Shame on you.”
Other stories about Hakkarainen’s racism and sexism that have appeared in Migrant Tales:
- Exposing white Finnish privilege #46: Teuvo Hakkarainen = white racism and sexism (December 20, 2017)
- PS’ Teuvo Hakkarainen and Olli Sademies: Ethnic agitation charges and racist bravado (January 4, 2017)
- Do ethnic agitation charges against Teuvo Hakkarainen give us a whiff of the rot spreading in government and our society? (November 5, 2016)
- PS MP Teuvo Hakkarainen may face prosecution for ethnic agitation (September 27, 2016)
- Defining white Finnish privilege #11: Case Teuvo Hakkarainen (September 27, 2014)
- Mixed reactions to Hakkarainen’s racist blog entry that victimizes immigrants and Muslims (August 21, 2013)
- Let’s play fill in the blanks with far-right Finnish MP Teuvo Hakkarainen (August 20, 2013)
- PS MP Hakkarainen of Finland launches a new attack on immigrants and Muslims (August 19, 2013)
- PS MP Hakkarainen instigates social media lynch mob from Singapore (August 12, 2012)
- PS will not take any disciplinary action against MP Teuvo Hakkarainen (August 25, 2011)
* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13 into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. Despite the name changes, we believe that it is the same party in different clothing. Both factions are hostile to cultural diversity. One is more open about it while the other is more diplomatic.
A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.