THE GUARDIAN: Riikka Purra says she will not resign after being linked to racial slurs and threats of violence made in 2008
Finland’s new rightwing government has been plunged into fresh controversy after the discovery of racist and sometimes violent blogpost comments apparently written by the far-right Finns party leader and finance minister, Riikka Purra.
Purra, whose nationalist, anti-immigration party finished second in April’s elections and holds nine cabinet posts, has neither confirmed nor denied writing the posts, which date mostly to 2008, and said she had no intention of resigning – although on Tuesday she issued a broad apology for “stupid social media comments”.
The comments, made under the username “riikka” on the blog of Purra’s predecessor as Finns party leader, Jussi Halla-aho, included uses of the Finnish equivalent of the N-word, other racial and anti-immigrant slurs, and threats of violence. » | Jon Henley, Europe editor | Tuesday, July 11, 2023
