A young Black woman who was subjected to racist abuse after being selected to lead celebrations of a Swedish festival of light in Helsinki has received an apology from the Finnish prime minister.
According to the Swedish tradition, each year a young woman or girl is chosen to represent Saint Lucia by dressing in a costume of a white gown, red waistband and crown of candles as part of the official annual festivities in Finland at the Lutheran Cathedral on 13 December to mark the shortest day according to the Julian calendar.
About 5% of people in Finland, which until 1809 was part of Sweden, speak Swedish as their native language, which is one of two national languages in the Nordic country.
Daniela Owusu, 20, who is Finnish Ghanaian, received thousands of hate messages after on Friday becoming Finland’s first Black Lucia. The organisers have reported the abuse to police and the discrimination ombudsman and are considering taking legal action.
Finnish guy here. The whole nation has been thrown in the middle of racist debate in the past year. One of the ruling political parties is a far right populist party who have strifed to normalize racism while they’re in power. There are actual nazi affiliated people there. It’s a fucking shitshow where they lie to coax normal people into rage against immigrants and it seems to be working with those poor suckers. It hasn’t been a good year, far from it, but at least common everyday racism has been outed and is condemned by the majority.
Honestly, Finland has had a weird relationship with immigration for at least a decade. I think all the countries with large sovereign wealth funds are in a pretty weird place when it comes to immigration… and if immigration gets demonized racism flourishes.