(PresidentialHill.com)- When a Democrat tells you that freedom of speech should have limitations, point them to the case of Päivi Räsänen and Juhana Pohjola in Finland. A Finnish member of Parliament and a Lutheran Bishop respectively, the pair were in a courtroom on Monday looking at two years in prison for the crime of expressing their religious beliefs.
Yes, really. In a civilized, European nation.
Räsänen was charged with “ethnic agitation” for distributing a pamphlet, for engaging in a discussion on a radio show back in 2019, and then for tweeting a photograph…of the Bible.
In the tweet, Räsänen posted the photograph and then questioned why her church was sponsoring an LGBT Pride event. It’s not a weird question to ask, either, given what typically goes on at those Pride events…
Here’s the offending tweet:
Kirkko, jonka jäsen olen, on ilmoittanut olevansa SETA:n Helsinki Pride 2019 virallinen kumppani. Miten kirkon oppiperusta, Raamattu, sopii yhteen aatteen kanssa, jossa häpeä ja synti nostetaan ylpeyden aiheeksi?… https://t.co/dSGNJqdf9F
— Päivi Räsänen (@PaiviRasanen) June 17, 2019
Bishop Pohjola faced one charge of ethnic agitation for publishing a pamphlet from Räsänen on the church website.
The pair both face up to two years in prison if convicted.
Räsänen told the press that she is “optimistic to win the case” and that she has been optimistic the whole time.
“I would never have believed that this happens in Finland because we are a democracy with freedom of speech and freedom of religion in our Constitution,” she said.
Räsänen is accused of making comments that cause “intolerance” and express “hatred” towards others.
Räsänen also explained how, if she is prosecuted, it would effectively mean that she is unable to agree with the Bible because Finnish prosecutors stated during the trial that the Bible shouldn’t overrule Finnish law.
This is scary, isn’t it?
More details on the case here.
