Finland’s government may introduce legislation banning the swastika, following a proposal submitted by National Coalition Party MP Ben Zyskowicz.
The proposal is part of a wider package currently being drafted by a government-appointed working group tasked with providing concrete steps on how to effectively tackle racism and discrimination in Finland.
The working group was established by PM Petteri Orpo‘s (NCP) government following a series of racism and far-right scandals involving Finns Party MPs and ministers throughout the summer.
While the possibility of banning the swastika by law has been discussed within the working group, Yle understands that there is no consensus on the issue among the government parties.
The use of flags and emblems of Nazi Germany (1933–1945), most notably the swastika, is heavily restricted or outright banned in many European countries. The swastika in particular is associated with the Holocaust.
Zyskowicz said that in addition to the swastika, he has also called for a ban on the Soviet symbols of the sickle and the hammer. He said that millions of people were killed in the Soviet Union.
Parliament is expected to vote on the working group’s proposals in early September, when votes of confidence in the government as well as individual ministers may also be held.
Finland’s military has also used the swastika on some insignia, but it is being gradually phased out.
Source: Yle
