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Pro-, anti-immigration protests staged in Finland

Xinhua, October 4, 2015 Adjust font size:

A total of nearly 1,500 people participated in the pro- and anti- immigration demonstrations on Saturday in several places of Finland, reported local media.

In Helsinki, the capital of Finland, the demonstrations caused emotional conflicts by the two groups of protestors with opposing views.

The "Close Borders" anti-immigration demonstration attracted more than 200 people, while nearly 400 participated in the "Open Finland" anti-racism protest in Helsinki.

During the events, some people threw eggs to the police officers and kicked police cars. One was arrested for kicking a police car and breaking a lamp on the car.

At the same time, similar demonstrations were held in Lahti, around 100 km north of Helsinki, with more than 800 participates, and in Tornio, northern Finland, with about 400 people. The police said the protests in these two places went almost peacefully.

Some 300 protesters took part in similar demonstrations in Tampere, a major city in south central Finland. The anti-immigration one was named "Close Borders", while the anti-racism one was named "Zero Tolerance to Racism".

According to the Finnish Immigration Service, a total of 18,413 asylum-seekers have registered in Finland this year, and the number is still rising by about 500 on a daily basis. Endit