Numerous Christian and free speech advocacy groups both within and outside Finland have reacted to the conviction of Päivi Räsänen for hate speech against homosexuals, which was made public yesterday, 26 March.

The Supreme Court has upheld the acquittal of the Christian MP and doctor, previously granted by two lower courts, regarding a social media post in 2019 in which she quoted a Bible verse on homosexuality to criticise the potential involvement of the Lutheran Church (of which she is a member) in Helsinki’s Gay Pride events.

However, the court did convict her and the director of a Lutheran organisation for keeping a booklet published in 2004 accessible to the public, in which Päivi Räsänen set out her view of human sexuality based on her biblical convictions.

You can read all the information and analysis from Evangelical Focus on this legal case, which began in 2019, here.

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EEA: risk of dangerous precedent against freedom of expression

Among the organisations that have expressed their “profound disappointment” and struggle to comprehend the ruling is the European Evangelical Alliance (EEA).

In a statement issued 24 hours after the ruling was announced, the EEA states that, based on the affirmation of the “dignity and protection of all people, including those who identify as LGBTQ+”, it considers the ruling to be “deeply concerning”.

For the entity, which represents some 23 million evangelical Christians in Europe, the concern is that “this ruling lowers the threshold for criminalising peaceful expression and risks setting a troubling precedent for freedom of expression and religion across Europe”.

In its response, which can be read here, the EEA emphasises that of the three charges brought by the state prosecution, only one was upheld, following two previous acquittals, and with “a narrow 3-2 majority” in the votes of the judges at Finland’s highest court.

The EEA has analysed the arguments in the judgment and considers that the fact that the court itself acknowledges that “the text forming the basis for the conviction did not contain incitement to violence or comparable threat-like fomenting of hatred” makes it all the more evident that the conviction is difficult to comprehend in light of the “established principles of freedom of expression” in Europe.

For the EEA, “freedom of expression includes the protection of views that may be considered offensive, particularly where no incitement to violence or demonstrable harm is present. This case is further notable given that two lower courts acquitted the defendants and the police initially declined to investigate”.

Theological convictions expressed to a church audience

Consideration should also have been given to the audience and the actual impact that the pamphlet, entitled Male and Female, He Created Them, may have had. The EEA states that “it was originally written for a church audience and expresses theological convictions, including an affirmation of the dignity and value of all people. Whilst recognising that some of the wording may be experienced as offensive by some, the threshold for criminalising expression should remain high”.

Other international organisations, including Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which has been involved in defending Päivi Räsänen in this case, have emphasized the importance of this case beyond Finland’s borders.

It has been a case study particularly in Europe, as it is a very high-profile legal case in which the extent to which a historic Christian position (upheld by Christians from different denominations, including a majority of evangelical churches) can or cannot be expressed and debated in public within a secular context—where laws tend to restrict debate on controversial issues—has been tested.