Finland's Leaders Face Heat Over Racist Acts

Finland is in hot water again. This time, it's because of some very disrespectful posts made by politicians. The country's prime minister had to say sorry to Asian countries. Why? Because some members of the Finns Party, which is part of the government, shared pictures making fun of Asian people's eyes. The whole thing started when Miss Finland, Sarah Dzafce, posted a photo. In it, she pulled back her eyes to look Asian. She said she didn't mean to be mean, but she still lost her title. After that, some politicians did the same thing. They thought it was funny. But it wasn't. The prime minister, Petteri Orpo, had to step in. He said sorry to China, Japan, and South Korea. He said these actions don't show what Finland stands for. Finland values fairness and welcoming everyone. Orpo also said the government is serious about fighting racism.But this isn't the first time. Earlier in 2023, the government faced a no-confidence vote. Why? Because some cabinet members from the Finns Party made racist posts online. It seems like the Finns Party keeps causing trouble. Finnair, Finland's national airline, is also affected. They get a lot of business from Asia. But now, people in Asia are upset. They might not want to fly with Finnair anymore. The Finns Party is going to talk about this at their next meeting. One of the politicians involved, Juho Eerola, said he was sorry. But he didn't want to say more. Miss Finland's organization said they are not political. But they had to take action. It's about their values. They had to stand up against racism.