Finland’s Päivi Räsänen victory is a big win over the LGTBQ+ weaponisation of litigation.
The grandmother of 11 and former MP was criminally charged for “hate speech” in 2021 for publicly expressing her Christian convictions.
Räsänen was arraigned under a section of Finland’s “war crimes and crimes against humanity” criminal code after posting a picture online of the Bible opened to Romans 1:24-27.
Finland’s DOJ accused the Christian, and former Finnish Interior Minister, of “violating the equality and dignity of homosexuals,” for publicly supporting Bible-backed binary biology and traditional marriage.
Activists were triggered by Räsänen criticising the (State-owned) Lutheran church’s promotion of an LGBTQ+ PRIDE parade by quoting Paul’s epistle on X/Twitter.
Lutheran heavyweight, Rev. Juhana Pohjola was also charged.
Authorities alleged he had “incited [hatred] against a group of people,” for offering opposing viewpoints to Same-Sex marriage.
His entire legal stoush was over Pohjola publishing Räsänen’s 2004 booklet, post-Finland redefining marriage in 2017: Male and Female He Created Them: Homosexual relationships challenge the Christian concept of humanity
Subsequently, they’ve spent four years fighting the Finnish DOJ to keep free speech, and religious freedom, free.
After an initial 2023 victory, whereby both Räsänen, and Pohjola were acquitted by the Helsinki district court, a vengeful, and desperate-to-save-face, Finnish DOJ pursued the matter.
The DOJ upped the ante via appeal in an attempt to “make an example of her,” Räsänen said.
As I predicted back in July, this was set to become a massive waste of taxpayer time and money.
Yesterday, the Helsinki Court of Appeal ‘unanimously dismissed’ all charges, saying, “[We’ve found] no reason to alter the final result of the District Court’s judgment.”
ADF International announced the good news, with a caveat.
ADF CEO Paul Coleman reminded the world of the cost.
This victory over forced speech, “comes after four years of police investigations, criminal indictments, prosecutions, and court hearings,” he said.
“Criminalizing speech through so-called ‘hate-speech’ laws shuts down important public debates and poses a grave threat to our democracies.”
“We are relieved to see courts enforce the rule of law when state authorities overstep by seeking to penalize and censor statements that they dislike,” Coleman added.
Following the story since 2021 for Caldron Pool, I’ve made a point of highlighting Räsänen’s resolve (see here and here).
Räsänen was true to her word – determined to see core freedoms, “guaranteed in international agreements and in [Finland’s] constitution, be respected.”
Her perseverance and long-suffering have paid off.
Choosing to be imitators of Christ, not idolaters, ADF, Räsänen, and the Reverand, have epitomised courage culture’s battle against cancel culture Apollyon’s.
While Finland’s freedom-loving volk can sleep easy, the forced speech Wokeshevist Jihad on free speech, and freedom of religion continues its long march.
After defeat at the hands of Trans-Tribunals in England (Joshua Sutcliff), Mexico (Rodrigo Ivan Cortes, Gabriel Quadri), and New Zealand (Mr. X), the Left’s culture war wages on.
In Australia, Binary director, Kirralie Smith faces court, in what is set to be Australia’s first case of someone being charged with blaspheming the LGTBQ+ fascist cult.
Smith, wrote on X, “Next week I will be in court, all day, opposing a claim I vilified a man by referring to him as ‘male.’
“To my knowledge, this will be the 1st hearing about “misgendering” in Australia.”
Smith’s case will determine whether Australia’s judicial system has chosen to reject or, surrender itself to the equivalent of LGBTQ+ blasphemy laws.
Sharing his thoughts on the free speech vs. forced speech trials, ADF’s Paul Coleman wrote in the National Review, “Across the world, censorship at the hands of the state is a clearly visible mounting trend.
He then added, “This is a ruling that sends a crucial signal to the entire Western world — attacks on free speech make a mockery of democratic institutions, with perilous consequences for fundamental freedoms across the board.
“For so long as the “hate speech” law in Finland allows for peaceful expression to be not only criminally prosecuted but also punishable by up to two years’ imprisonment, free speech remains nothing more than a thinly protected illusion.”
“Governments,” Coleman said, who are “debating the implementation of similar censorship regimes should take note.”
“Hate speech” laws create arbitrary and ambiguous “crimes,” punishing all who dare to speak their mind, and resulting in a mass wave of silencing for the rest — all the while wasting precious state resources desperately needed in other sectors.
Coleman’s right.
As is often been said about Leftist lawfare, the process is the punishment.
It’s worth remembering the importance of freedom and responsibility.
Where civil rights are exalted over civil liberties, hell on earth is sure to follow.
