Finnish politician dismissed for ethnic hatred: report

The Finns Party, part of Finland's current government coalition, has decided to dismiss Terhi Kiemunki, party chairman of the Tampere branch, mainly for her anti-Muslim agitation, local media reported Sunday.

Riikka Slunga-Poutsalo, secretary of the Finns Party, told the Finnish national broadcaster Yle that the decision was made unanimously at the party's meeting last Friday.

Kiemunki earlier published a blog post on the online Finnish publication Uusi Suomi, in which she claimed that "not all Muslims are terrorists but at this time all European terrorists are Muslim".

The 50-year-old Finns Party politician also attacked Islam for being an extremist religion.

"Let's just say that we found ourselves in a situation where this was the only way out," Slunga-Poutsalo was quoted as saying.

In December 2016, the Pirkanmaa District Court found Kiemunki guilty of agitation against an ethnic group and ordered her to pay a fine of 450 euros (475 U.S. dollars).

In addition to the hate speech she posted on social media, the Finns Party also found that Kiemunki used public funds for her private trips for several times, Slunga-Poutsalo said.

Kiemunki will still be listed as a candidate for the upcoming municipal elections held in April this year, according to Yle. Endit