December 18, 2025 — Dalena Reporters
Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has issued a formal apology to several Asian countries, including China, Japan and South Korea, after a racism controversy involving social media posts by members of his governing coalition sparked widespread backlash and diplomatic concern. The apology was released this week through Finnish embassies in those countries in multiple languages as Helsinki seeks to contain the fallout from the incident.
The controversy began earlier this month when Sarah Dzafce, the reigning Miss Finland 2025, shared a photo on social media in which she appeared to pull back the corners of her eyes — a gesture widely interpreted as mocking “slanted eyes”, a stereotype targeting East Asian people. The post, captioned “eating with a Chinese person,” triggered immediate criticism for its offensive and racist undertones, particularly from Asian communities and international observers. Dzafce, who is not of Asian heritage, later apologised and said she did not intend to offend anyone, but the Miss Finland organisation stripped her of her crown over the incident.
The situation escalated when two members of Finland’s Parliament and one member of the European Parliament, all affiliated with the far-right Finns Party — a junior partner in Orpo’s four-party governing coalition shared their own photos mimicking the gesture in apparent solidarity with Dzafce. The posts drew broad condemnation both domestically and internationally and were widely condemned as racist and insensitive.
In his apology, Orpo acknowledged the seriousness of the social media posts and stressed that they “do not reflect Finland’s values of equality and inclusion.” He said the government “takes racism seriously” and is committed to combating discrimination, emphasising that such behaviour has no place in Finnish society. The statements were circulated through the social media accounts of Finnish embassies in Tokyo, Beijing and Seoul.
Orpo’s remarks come amid concerns that the scandal could harm diplomatic ties and affect commercial interests, including cultural cooperation and tourism. Finnish media reported that a TV production company postponed collaborative projects with Japanese partners following the controversy, and Finnair, Finland’s national airline, said the widely circulated images had negatively impacted its brand in key Asian markets.
Reactions among the politicians involved have been mixed. One of the MPs who posted the images, Juho Eerola, apologised for offending people, while another, Kaisa Garedew, said she did not believe she needed to apologise for her post. A Finns Party parliamentary meeting was scheduled to address the matter and consider possible sanctions for the lawmakers involved.
The episode has reverberated beyond diplomatic corridors, prompting broader conversations in Finland about political responsibility, racism, and the impact of public figures’ behaviour on international relations and domestic norms.