Osita Ifezue
In December 2024, Daniela Owusu, a Finnish-Ghanaian, was named Finland’s St Lucia, leading to massive online racial harassment. The incident garnered national debate, which led President Alexander Stubb to respond, saying that the incident was “unequivocally wrong.” It could be said that such national attention to the issue of racial discrimination led to the prosecution of some people involved in online racial violence.
However, exactly a year later, in December 2025, another major racial discrimination scandal involving Sarah Dzafce, Miss Finland 2025, who made a racially inclined impression of Asians, was stripped of her title as Miss Finland 2025. The decision to strip her of the title triggered both political and social debate on what can be defined as racism and what cannot.
Some leading political figures have remained defiant in their support of Sarah Dzafce, quoting freedom of expression as their moral justification. Some have even gone as far as posting similar racially discriminatory impressions on their social media accounts in an effort to condemn the decision to strip her of Miss Finland 2025. The Prime Minister, Petteri Orpo, said, “It became childish” in response to the racial actions of some political leaders in the government. “It became childish.”
The debate about racism is a trending topic in Finland, often drawing both condemnation and support. The fact remains that institutions and political leaders are still major stakeholders in the fight against racism. The response to racial discrimination by political leaders sends a strong message at the national and international levels on the country’s strides in creating an equitable solution.
It is commendable that the government issued an apology to all traumatized by this scandal, and the international community. Yet, more is necessary for the government to steer the racial discourse and solution by action or inaction.
The strength of a leader’s response determines the response of the general population. I did a comparison of the two responses by Alexander Stubb (“unequivocally wrong”) and Petteri Orpo (“It became childish”), and what it means for the social and political debate on racism in Finland. It is commendable that Finland’s political leadership is acknowledging discrimination and confronting the issue as a collective problem that needs collective solutions.
Some might say that the country’s attempt to redefine what constitutes racial discrimination in the wake of this recent Miss Finland 2025 scandal is laughable. Some of the debates are leading to a politicization of the racism discourse, which will create roadblocks to progress. For example, before these two incidents, a major racially motivated violent incident happened in Oulu in June 2024, where a 12-year-old boy with an immigrant background was stabbed by a far-right member.
The Prime Minister’s response, comparing racism to childishness, does not highlight the weight of racial discrimination and how institutions find solutions. Not being equivocal might send a false message that institutions and leaders are not willing to go far enough to address the issues. It showcases a sense of complacency about the issue. Despite the political and social pressure a leader faces, a strong resolve to address the issue is paramount to collective solutions.
Now is the time for concrete action and building a standard for confronting racism. Good leadership can and should involve standing up for good in the face of unpopular views or political pressure.
While the international community watches to see where the political debate and actions are taken, these scandals highlight how far the discourse of racism in Finland has come. They offer the opportunity for further concrete debate on how society should deal with racism that results in structural reforms. Although some progress has been made, as discourses are being held, the debate should be focused on reaching a consensus of action plans and how to tackle the menace of a divided society.
The Benefits of Racism Scandals
We need to look at some wins from these kinds of scandals. It highlights the challenges of racism for all to see, highlighting the polarization of ideas, galvanization of concrete steps, and creates awareness. The level of awareness of racism in Finland has increased over the past 10 or 15 years, yet the structure that supports racism thrives and negative effects are growing.
Those leading the charge of the politicization of racism summon the supreme status of freedom of choice, expression, and association. The right of expression or association need not violate or deny the rights of others. The divided view of political opinions needs to be secondary to the impact of racism when left unchecked. These debates, rather than polarization, should move to the centre, which means finding common solutions that work best for society and lead to reforms to racial discrimination.
Osita Ifezue
Founder, Entergrate ry
Visiting Researcher, THL (Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare)
Doctoral Researcher, INVEST Research Flagship
University of Turku
