The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement regarding the anger at the State Flag of the Russian Federation in Finland and demanded that such “extremist antics” be stopped in the future. The incident occurred during mass marches that coincided with the country’s Independence Day on December 6th.
“In this context, a diplomatic border was drawn against the Finnish side through the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and it was stated that such actions were seen in Moscow as an unprecedented, unacceptable act of disrespect for the state symbol of our country,” the statement said. says. on site diplomatic office.
Moscow appealed to Helsinki, demanding that the perpetrators be brought to justice and “measures be taken to ensure that such extremist games are not repeated in the future”.
By article 239 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, desecration of the State Emblem or State Flag is punishable by deprivation of liberty for up to one year or by forced labor for the same period or by arrest for a period of time. deprivation of liberty for a period of three to six months or up to one year. Finnish law only penalizes desecration of the Finnish flag.
“No major inconvenience”
Finnish Independence Day celebrations traditionally begin with an official flag hoisting ceremony on Tähtitornimäki Hill in central Helsinki, military parades take place in the afternoon, and various social movements hold a traditional torch procession in the late afternoon. The column is moved from the Hietaniemi cemetery to Senate Square.
by publisher yle, protesters burned the Russian flag right in front of the cemetery gates. Noticing the incident, the police officers on duty ordered the activists to stop, but did not detain anyone.
Officials of the Finnish capital said that in general the celebration passed this time “without serious disturbances”. According to preliminary estimates, several thousand people attended the demonstrations on 6 December.
Finland and NATO
In May, Finland and Sweden applied to join NATO. This decision has so far not been supported only by Hungary and Turkey. Second, he referred to the Finnish and Swedish authorities’ allegation that they supported the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which is considered a terrorist in Ankara. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also demanded the extradition of PKK members to Turkey.
Finnish authorities banned the marchers from using PKK flags on December 6, explaining the request as a possible provocation and security threat. Helsinki Police Chief Heikki Porola told STT that the flags of the PKK and other Kurdish organizations are not banned in the country, and that this is a one-time decision.
demonstrators criticized The authorities’ decision accused them of yielding to Turkey’s demands.
On 5 December, the Finnish government submitted a draft law on NATO accession to Parliament. Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto stressedHe said the main factor that prompted Finns to turn to the North Atlantic Alliance was the alleged nuclear threats from Russia. According to him, “the real security situation in Europe has changed” since the JWO was announced.
“Given this, Finland had to think about how to respond and where to get support in the event of a threat to use nuclear or chemical weapons,” the head of the Foreign Ministry said of the officials’ decision.
Source: Gazeta
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.