Finnish MP Juho Eerola posted a photo of himself on Facebook stretching his eyes sideways with his fingers. The pose mimics a controversial image of former Miss Finland Sarah Dzafce, who stepped down from her title after the photo of her making the same gesture circulated online and was condemned as racist.
Eerola, who chairs the Finnish Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee, published the photo as his new profile image on Thursday. The caption read “Je suis Sarah”, a phrase commonly used as a public gesture of solidarity. He told Finnish broadcaster Yle that the image was meant “for fun” and denied it was racist.
“Some people might see it that way, but my understanding is that it is not generally considered racist,” Eerola said from Brussels Airport, where he was on official business.
Dzafce’s image, which spread on social media in late November, showed her sitting at a restaurant table, pulling her eyes upward with the caption “kiinalaisenkaa syömässä” (“eating with a Chinese”). The photo triggered public backlash, including accusations of racial stereotyping against people of East Asian origin.
Eerola dismissed the criticism against Dzafce. “This is completely absurd. She has an immigrant background and surely knows what racism is,” he said to Ilta-Sanomat. “If this counts as racism, then everything starts to count as racism.”
He added that his own image also referenced a physical headache. “I got a tip from Miss Finland about how to relieve a headache. That’s what the picture shows.”
Dzafce had earlier told Ilta-Sanomat that her photo was taken as a joke by a friend while she was trying to ease a migraine by pressing her temples.
MP Joakim Vigelius, vice-chair of the Finns party, defended Dzafce on the social media platform X. He questioned the fairness of her losing her title. “I don’t think this is fair. I think this is sick. Tight-laced and humourless. Above all, merciless,” he wrote.
Vigelius also criticised what he described as “moral hysteria” and social media campaigns against individuals. “You can’t stretch your eyes among friends without being called a Sinophobe. You can’t joke about anything without being accused of some form of discrimination,” he posted.
HT
