The Finnish government is attempting to contain the fallout from the Miss Finland Scandal, a major diplomatic crisis sparked by a racist joke and further escalated by parliamentary deputies. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo was forced to send formal apologies to the embassies of China, Japan, and South Korea, assuring diplomats that racism is not part of Finland’s state policy.
How the Scandal Began: The Miss Finland Photo
The scandal was triggered by a social media post from the winner of the Miss Finland contest, Kosovo native Sara Dzafce. She posted a photo on Instagram where she stretched her eyelids to simulate narrow eyes. The image, shared by her friend, was captioned: “dining with a Chinese person.”
Contest organizers reacted swiftly: although Dzafce publicly apologized and insisted she did not intend to offend anyone, she was stripped of her beauty queen title. The Chinese publication Global Times reported that the gesture was widely interpreted as mocking the facial features of East Asian women.
In her apology, Dzafce spoke a phrase in Chinese: duibuqi zhongguo (“Sorry, China”), adding in English: “I am very sorry.” She emphasized that one of her core values is “respect for people, their origin, and their differences.”
The crown and title were transferred to the first runner-up, Tara Lehtonen.
The Political Flash Mob
The situation escalated when representatives of the right-wing Finns Party (True Finns), a member of the ruling coalition, voiced support for Dzafce. Members of Parliament Juho Eerola and Kaisa Garedew, along with MEP Sebastian Tynkkynen, published similar photos on their social media, also mimicking “Asian eye features.”
This gesture provoked an immediate reaction from the business sector. National carrier Finnair, for which long-haul flights to Asia are a key source of revenue, reported a “storm of indignation” in Asian markets, threatening the company with serious financial losses.
The Miss Finland Scandal: Summary of Political Fallout
Prime Minister’s Reaction and Coalition Rift
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo attempted to smooth things over by sending letters to the diplomatic missions of China, Japan, and South Korea. “These posts do not reflect Finnish values of equality and inclusiveness. Our message… is that the government takes racism extremely seriously and is committed to fighting it,” Orpo stated.
However, there is no unity among Finnish politicians. MP Juho Eerola acknowledged his mistake and expressed regret through the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun that his photo had offended people of Asian descent. MP Kaisa Garedew refused to apologize, instead blaming journalists. “If anyone should apologize, it is the media… for condemning and labeling my completely ordinary post as racist,” she told the tabloid Iltalehti. Riikka Purra (leader of the Finns Party, Minister of Finance, and Deputy Prime Minister) effectively defended her party members by supporting the controversial posts.
The Finns Party itself plans to discuss the conduct of its members at its next meeting.
