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Finnish MP charged for hatred speech against Muslims

Xinhua, November 2, 2016 Adjust font size:

Teuvo Hakkarainen, a member of Finnish parliament, was charged with "instigation against an ethic group", media reported on Tuesday.

Hakkarainen is from the populist Finns Party. The lawsuit was filed after Hakkarainen published a social media post in the wake of the terrorist attack in Nice, France in July, in which more than 80 people were killed when a lorry ploughed into a crowd.

Assistant state prosecutor Raija Toiviainen was quoted by national broadcaster Yle as saying that "the freedom of speech by a member of parliament does not include hatred speech targeting generally all Muslims and creating intolerance."

The trial will take place at a local court in central Finland where Hakkarainen lives.

Hakkarainen has denied the charge. The chairman of the Finns Party parliamentary group Sampo Terho said on Tuesday that everyone is innocent until otherwise proven.

Conviction does not cause a MP to lose his seat, but conviction can restrict the eligibility to visible roles in parliament.

Newspaper Turun Sanomat reported earlier that 16 of the current 200 MPs had convictions. Endit