- On June 13: A 33-year-old far-right man allegedly attacked a 12-year-old boy of foreign heritage and attempted to attack a 14-year-old boy
- The 12-year-old remains in hospital with serious injuries
- On June 18: A 15-year-old allegedly stabbed a man of a foreign background
- Police believe the second attack was a copycat of the first incident and is believed to be racially motivated
- The attacks have drawn widespread condemnation from politicians in Finland
Finland shocked by recent stabbings that police suspect are racially motivated
Foreign-born citizens in Oulu, northern Finland, have said they feel unsafe following two stabbings that police suspect may have been racially motivated. Both attacks occurred in Oulu’s main shopping centre within a week.
On June 13, a 33-year-old local man, a former member of the banned neo-Nazi group Nordic Resistance Movement, allegedly attacked a 12-year-old boy of foreign heritage and attempted to attack a 14-year-old. The younger boy is currently hospitalised with serious injuries.
A second attack took place on June 18, when a 15-year-old allegedly stabbed a man of foreign background. Preliminary police information suggests this attack was also racially motivated and a copycat of the first incident. The victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries to his upper body and is being treated in the hospital.
These incidents have shocked Finland and prompted widespread condemnation from politicians. President Alexander Stubb stated on social media that “there is no place for racism or racist violence in Finland.” Prime Minister Petteri Orpo described the attacks and their “possibly racist motives” as “disgusting.”
The opposition Social Democrats have called for an urgent parliamentary debate on far-right violence, an initiative supported by all parliamentary parties except the far-right Finns Party.
Oulu, a technology hub with a population of just over 200,000, is located 170 km south of the Arctic Circle. Although Finland has seen an increase in recorded hate crimes in recent years, violent attacks remain extremely rare.