It was last Friday that Minister of Economic Affairs Vilhelm Junnila resigned from his post after pressure from outside – and thus became the shortest-serving minister in Finland’s history.
He was accused of having links to right-wing extremism and of having used Nazi expressions. Shortly after a no-confidence vote against him – which he survived – he appeared in a raccoon-themed tie, which some interpreted as a flirtation with the symbols of the American far-right.
The scandal barely had time to blow over before a new one appeared.
Over the weekend, Finance Minister and True Finland Party leader Riikka Purra, Interior Minister Mari Rantanen and Justice Minister Leena Meri have been under fire for being linked to a far-right conspiracy based on the notion that a deliberate “population exchange” is taking place where “whites” in the West are being replaced against immigrants, according to Finnish media.
All three deny on Sunday that they are followers of the conspiracy theory.
“The party talks about the consequences of a bad immigration policy that affects Finland and the Western world. We want to fix problems and change policy. We use official statistics,” writes Purra on Twitter.
According to Finnish Iltalehti Purra has spoken several times about a replacement of the population and shared statistics that can be linked to the theory.
The now ex-Minister of Industry Vilhelm Junnila with his raccoon tie. Archive image.
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