A widely criticized decision by Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Justice Minister Leena Meri to slash the Council for Mass Media’s (JSN) aid next year, should not only be seen as another step by the PS and government to undermine the role of the media.
JSN Chairperson Eero Hytönen said in Journalisti that it was “a political decision by the minister [Meri].”
Read the full story (in Finnish) here.
Hytönen said the original proposal for state aid to JSN by ministry officials was different from Meri’s decision.
Meri has denied Hytönen’s claim.
This is not the first time that Meri’s decisions have been criticized. In 2019, the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) recommended in its fifth report on Finland twenty points to tackle hate crime, racism, and intolerance.
Meri was accused of dismantling two ministerial committees in February that were supposed to reform the penal code and strengthen the independence of the judiciary.
It’s clear that the PS downplays racism and believes that it isn’t a problem in Finland. ECRI’s recommendations conflict with the PS’ Criminal Policy Program of 2022, which states that the penal code concerning ethnic agitation must be changed to ensure free speech and the possibility to criticize Islam.
