Posted on 08/26/2009 7:57:50 PM PDT by Koblenz
An unusually large crowd of fans had come to support the Helsinki councillor Jussi Halla-aho (True Finns/Independent) in court proceedings that began on the fourth floor of the Helsinki District courthouse yesterday - Tuesday. Most of the supporters were youngish adult men.
Halla-aho is being charged at the Helsinki District Court with violation of the freedom of worship and incitement to racial hatred.
The charges were sparked by Halla-aho’s Internet blog writings more than a year ago.
In his blog entry, Halla-aho made two statements that violated the law, the prosecutor said.
In one of the entries Halla-aho linked Islam to paedophilia, and in another he commented that spongeing off taxpayers could be one of the genetic features of the Somalis.
As many as 50 people would have liked to get into the courtroom to follow the hearing. Most of them were supporters of Halla-aho, while some were members of his family and others were representatives of the media. However, only 30 people could be seated in the courtroom.
According to the prosecutor, Halla-aho publicly insulted and disgraced things that the Islam communities regard as sacred.
Halla-aho’s remark concerning the Somalis was discriminatory and strongly generalised, insulting their human dignity, the prosecutor noted.
”This is bigotry-related xenophobic demagogy”, declared district prosecutor Simo Kolehmainen, who is to conduct the case, even though the charges against Halla-aho were initially pressed by Deputy Prosecutor General Jorma Kalske.
In the prosecutor’s opinion the court should consider passing a suspended prison sentence, if the defendant is found guilty as charged.
However, prison sentences are very rare in connection with crimes involving freedom of speech. In such cases the court normally imposes a pecuniary penalty following a guilty verdict.
Halla-aho pleaded not guilty, responding to the charges without a lawyer.
In Halla-aho’s view, the prosecutor had misinterpreted his Internet blog writings, taking extracts from the factual texts inappropriately.
The purpose of his writings was to discuss freedom of speech sarcastically, while commenting on the fact that the media and authorities treat people unequally, Halla-aho argued.
The remarks about Islam and Somalis were just illustrative examples, Halla-aho claimed.
The Helsinki District Court is to give its decision on the matter in two weeks.
Last autumn, the national women’s organisation of the Green League Party Vihreät Naiset (“Green Women”) filed a report of an offence against Jussi Halla-aho over his Internet blog writings, in which he talked about immigrants and rapes. While investigating the matter, the police read Halla-aho’s blog a little more thoroughly, and eventually the actual charges were pressed as a result of another piece of writing.
A feminist organization wrote a commentary for a Finnish newspaper that said Finnish men were genetically pre-disposed to violence.
Jussi Hallo-aho wrote a response saying that it was amazing feminists could say that and no one would care. However, if someone had said that, for example, Somalis were genetically pre-disposed to violence, that person would be ostracized.
The prosecutor then brought charges against Jussi Hallo-aho for saying Somalis were pre-disposed to violence because of that example...
I hope the Finns stand up to Islam. They fought a hellish war against the Soviets in 1939-1940. Somalis are trouble with a capital T. They are like an infection that kills countries.
Yeah, well this trial of Jussi Hallo-aho certainly doesn't bode well for the future...
http://tundratabloid.blogspot.com/2009/08/trial-of-jussi-halla-aho-in-court-of.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j8E5bwVS1M
Court finds City Council member guilty of insulting religion
Halla-aho acquitted of incitement against ethnic group
Jussi Halla-aho, an independent member of the Helsinki City Council elected to the council on the True Finns ticket, plans to appeal Tuesday’s decision by the Helsinki District Court, which convicted him of violating the sanctity of religion.
The court fined him EUR 330.
...
Halla-aho was also charged over another statement he made in the same blog article, according to which robbing passers-by and scrounging on taxpayers’ money might be a genetic characteristic of Somalis. In the view of Deputy Prosecutor-General Jorma Kalske, this constituted incitement against an ethnic group, but the court acquitted Halla-aho on the charge.
The court found that Halla-aho was simply trying to use satire to criticise authorities for not reacting to a newspaper editorial, which suggested that killing people was a “national, and possibly downright genetic special characteristic” of the Finnish people.
The court concluded that Halla-aho was seeking to indicate that immigrants can enjoy better protection from officials than the native population.
http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Court%20finds%20City%20Council%20member%20guilty%20of%20insulting%20religion/1135249190300
How many Somalis are there in Finland?
Is this factual or an opinion.
Between 1990 and 1995 the number of Somali citizens in Finland jumped from 44 to 4,044. [1] In 2004 there were 4,689 Somali citizens, but an equal number may have received Finnish citizenship. In 2006 there were 8,990 Somali speakers in Finland.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_community_in_Finland
Halla-aho to Chair Committee in Charge of Immigration
True Finns have nominated candidates for chairing the parliamentary committees they have received leadership over. Jussi Halla-aho, who has sternly criticised immigration in his blog, is to become chairman of the Administration Committee, the responsibilities of which include immigration policies.
Halla-aho’s statements about Somali immigrants have brought him charges inciting racial hatred in 2009, which were later dismissed, and a fine for defaming religion.
http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2011/04/halla-aho_to_chair_committee_in_charge_of_immigration_2545272.html
The True Finns are definitely making the political scene in Finland more interesting...
Finland’s highest court ordered Halla-aho to pay 50 day fines, instead of 30 levied by a lower court, for statements about Somali immigrants.
Two lower courts previously dismissed hate charges against Halla-aho and only fined him for defaming religion.
http://yle.fi/uutiset/supreme_court_orders_halla-aho_to_pay_for_hate_speech/6171739
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