Finland Apologizes to China, Japan and South Korea for Racist Gesture

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/world/europe/finland-scandal-beauty-queen-china-racist.html

19 Comments

  1. A_Rude_Canadian_ on

    Given the way a lot of Europeans feel about immigration, how homogenous some countries like Finland are, and the amount of racism one sees in the Finnish metal scene, nothing about this surprises me. For some people who grow up in homogenous areas, people from East Asia or a background from East Asia are a group that only exists in the abstract — not real people with real thoughts and feelings and opinions. Because East Asian groups only exist in the abstract, anyone with a problem with edgy comments or ‘jokes’ is some kind of crybaby obsessed with being politically correct, or so they think.

    To be clear, I don’t think that all or even most Finns think this way.

  2. RedditUser000aaa on

    No we didn’t. It wasn’t a “Sorry we made an offensive gesture.” It was a “Sorry that we got caught.” The original clowns who did that are still defending it.

    Oh and it was decided what kind of “sanctions” this political party and the people who did the gesture received:

    a very stern warning. So basically nothing.

  3. serious question. I know it is wrong if people form a different culture make fun of another culture, it is bad irrespective of perception if the intention is wrong in the first place.

    but do people in some of the above mentioned asian countries really take this eye gesture to heart? because i know in some cultures having a fish like narrow eyes are considered a sign of beauty. I personally do think it is beautiful.

    can people from China, Japan and South Korea or other asian countries enlighten me on how this is viewed inside their own culture itself?

    Nevertheless no one should make fun of anything that is culturally different in other countries.

  4. In a statement released by top ministers they confirmed: “We apologise to China, China and China for the racism”

  5. The Finns are just like any other culture – the less educated and intelligent, the more racist they show. The smart racists do it behind closed doors.

  6. Context:

    Miss Finland made a racist gesture and posted it to social media (pulling her eyes back to make them slanted) and putting the caption: “Eating with a Chinese person”. She was subsequently stripped of Miss Finland and apologized (although she said the photo was her trying to relieve a headache and a “friend” made the racist social media caption).

    Several Far-Right Finnish politicians made the racist gesture and posted it to social media in solidarity with the former Miss Finland (odd move tbh). So, the Finnish government is now doing damage control.

    Why did they apologize to China, Japan, and South Korea specifically you wonder? Finland gets a lot of tourists from these countries, they’re also major trade partners.

  7. Hmm, the Finnish PM apologizes for the racist bastards that are convenient to have in the government to cut stuff.

    I’m a Finn. I have nothing to to apologize for.

  8. Remember when the world (still does sometimes) claimed that Americans were the ones “obsessed” with race and racism?