Finns Party chair and Deputy Prime Minister Timo Soini has finally broken his silence over an inflammatory Facebook post denouncing multiculturalism by ultranationalist MP Olli Immonen.

Over the weekend the 29-year-old MP posted an English-language statement calling on his “fellow fighters” to “fight until the end” against “this nightmare of multiculturalism” in Finland. In an interview with the Lännen Media newspaper group on Monday, Immonen denied that he had timed the posting to coincide with last week’s anniversary of Norway’s Utøya massacre.

Despite the furore, the vacationing Soini had remained unavailable for comment since last week.

On Monday evening, the tabloid Ilta-Sanomat published an exclusive interview with Soini, who spoke with a reporter at a petrol station in Kiikoinen, near his holiday home between Tampere and Pori.

Soini declined to speculate on whether Immonen would be asked to step down from the party or Parliament.

“Immonen forgot group solidarity”

“The parliamentary group led by Sampo Terho will decide on that later,” he said. “I think they will go over him with a fine-toothed comb.”

Soini, who co-founded the party 20 years ago, added: “It’s also important that our party understands that, whether something is good or bad, that they don’t always have to coming running around my feet. In other words the party has to grow to adulthood, which means that parliamentary group matters are handled in the parliamentary group.”

In June, when Immonen posed with members of a neo-Nazi group, Soini similarly deferred handling of it to Terho.

The party chair said he believed that the timing of Immonen’s statement, two days after the Utøya massacre anniversary, was a coincidence.

“This is not good for the party’s reputation,” Soini admitted, adding that “Immonen forgot group solidarity.”

Comments spur criminal complaint

Earlier on Monday the National Bureau of Investigation tweeted that it had received a criminal investigation request from a private individual over the statement.

However professors of law Dan Frände of Helsinki University and Matti Tolvanen of the University of Eastern Finland told Yle that Immonen’s statement is too vaguely worded to meet the definition of hate speech, noting that he does not specifically target any groups or individuals.

Demo set for Tuesday

On Tuesday Finnish politicians and pop stars will lead a pro-multiculturalism demonstration in downtown Helsinki. Most of the politicians scheduled to speak represent opposition parties, such as former SDP chair and foreign minister Erkki Tuomioja. However organiser Aleksi Pahkala told Yle Radio 1 on Monday afternoon that all parties had been invited to send representatives.

At least three from government parties will speak: Fatbardhe Hetemaj, a Kosovo-born Helsinki city councillor from the conservative National Coalition Party, Matias Turkkila, editor of the Finns Party newspaper, and Centre Party secretary Timo Laaninen.

Other speakers will include Lutheran Bishop Irja Askola and the Chief Rabbi of Finland, Simon Livson.

The hastily-arranged event begins at 5 pm at Kansalaistori (“Citizens’ Square”) behind the Helsinki Music Centre and across from the House of Parliament. Organisers expect at least 11,000 people to attend. Billed as “a demonstration on behalf of an open, multi-cultural Finland,” the event’s slogan is “We Have a Dream” — playing on both Martin Luther King Jr’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech and Immonen’s use of the words “dream” and “nightmare”.

Similar events will also be held simultaneously in the cities of Tampere and Oulu at least.

Sources Yle, Ilta-Sanomat, Lännen Media