‘Harmful Animals’: Finnish Politician Faces Scrutiny Over Dehumanizing Remarks About Immigrants

A local politician from the right-wing Finns Party is facing legal scrutiny after repeatedly using racist and dehumanizing language to describe immigrants on social media.

Anton Murola, a city councilor in the southern town of Akaa, referred to people of foreign background as pests and trash on the platform X. He also used derogatory racial slurs, defending the language as normal during his school years.

Criminal law professor Kimmo Nuotio reviewed the posts and told the national broadcaster YLE that the language is severe enough to be investigated as ethnic agitation.

Under Finnish law, ethnic agitation involves threatening, defaming, or insulting a group based on race, ethnicity, or religion.

Murola reportedly made comments like “this is what leftists like.” In one post, he even compared the leftist mindset of being generous toward immigrants to a “brain disease.”

He has referred to white citizens as “flour-mouths” and immigrants as “harmful animals.” Additionally, he has attempted to normalize the use of the derogatory term “nigger,” which is historically linked to slavery and colonialism.

In his response to YLE, he stated that when writing about immigration, his “last remaining filter is also disappearing.” Murola admits that he wants to provoke his readers and describes himself as a “hardline figure” even within his own political camp.

YLE reported that some of Murola’s posts show signs of inciting violence against immigrant groups.

Commenting on news regarding immigration in the UK, he suggested that if deportation does not solve the problem, it could lead to physical violence and the use of weapons against immigrants.

He has also expressed a desire for the reinstatement of the death penalty.

Psychological and Social Impact of Dehumanizing Language

Professor Nuotio warned that dehumanizing language strips minority groups of their human dignity. He noted that comparing people to animals often serves to soften public opinion toward harsher, discriminatory measures.

Murola has defended his communication style as intentionally provocative and aimed primarily at his political supporters. He claimed his online persona is completely separate from his official duties in the city council.

When asked by YLE about the potential illegality of his posts, Murola stated he advocates for absolute freedom of speech. He argued that society must tolerate unpleasant speech to avoid becoming a dictatorship.

The controversy highlights ongoing tensions surrounding the Finns Party, a nationalist faction that holds significant sway in Finnish politics and maintains a strict anti-immigration platform. Several high-profile members of the party have previously received criminal convictions for ethnic agitation.

The Akaa city council currently lacks written social media guidelines for its elected officials. Council chair Janita Puomila of the center-right National Coalition Party publicly condemned the use of harsh language but noted Murola generally behaves appropriately during official meetings.

The incident occurs as the Finnish Ministry of Justice prepares to review the country’s ethnic agitation legislation. The government plans to submit a new legislative proposal to parliament by the end of the year.