“I’d hope that all Finns take a look inside and think about how we treat one another over Christmas,” he replied. “Finland is one of the most equal countries, and we’re all in the same boat here. We’ve been able to live with one another, and we have to understand and appreciate each other also in these times.”

“No one is more valuable as a human being than the next person. I hope that we’ll stop [to think about] that.”

December has brought another reminder about the prevalence of racism in Finland. Folkhälsan, a Swedish-speaking organisation that works for better health and quality of life in Finland, reported that Daniela Owusu, a 20-year-old Finnish-Ghanian from Kirkkonummi, has faced a racist backlash following her crowning as the country’s 2024 Saint Lucia.

Owusu was the first black person chosen to represent the martyr in the annual procession that celebrates light and joy amid the darkest winter period.

“The climate becoming more aggravated leads to this kind of aggravated behaviour. It was truly appalling to hear how a young woman and her family is being flooded with thousands of messages. That’s absolutely not acceptable,” Orpo said to Helsingin Sanomat on Sunday.

Orpo and Owusu met earlier this month as the procession made an appearance in the Parliament House. The premier at the time conveyed his regret about the hateful comments targeted at Owusu.

The North-South Summit brought EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Greek Prime Minister Kyriákos Mitsotákis and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to Saariselkä to discuss issues related to defence, migration and border security.

Orpo told reporters upon his arrival to the summit that what is needed is a better mutual understanding of the respective security concerns of the Baltics and Southern Europe.

Aleksi Teivainen – HT