Jussi Halla-aho has claimed representatives from the Finns Party never sided with right-wing extremists during a march in Turku commemorating the victims of a 2017 terrorist attack and has berated the government for failing to organize a ceremony of its own.
Finns Party leader Jussi Halla-aho has dismissed allegations by the Finnish media about party members marching side by side with neo-Nazis from the banned Nordic Resistance Movement (NMR) as “fake news” and “groundless speculation,” national broadcaster Yle reported.
The daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat previously claimed that the Finns Party and NMR members both participated in the same event to commemorate the victims of the Turku stabbing in 2017, organized by the nationalist organization Kansallismielisten liittouma. According to the police, the meeting gathered about 300 participants.
Jussi Halla-aho insisted that his party's members were there to honor the victims and their relatives and called it a shame that the anniversary of the terrorist attack wasn't otherwise commemorated.
“I know that some Finns [party members] went to Turku to commemorate the victims of terrorist attacks, and I believe that's ok. The Finns Party participates in all the events we approve of. Remembering the victims of the terrorist attack is a worthy purpose,” Halla-aho said.
Halla-aho stressed that while certain extreme movements are attracted to the Finns Party…
