Remember Finnish court battle over use of Bible passages because they were “hate speech.”?
Story:
A former Finnish interior minister has gone on trial for hate speech against gay people, following comments which she says were based on the Bible.
Prosecutors accuse Paivi Rasanen of making derogatory comments on three occasions, including in a 2019 tweet showing verses from the Bible.
The case is being seen as a test of whether personal religious beliefs can justify controversial language.
Announcing the charges in April last year, Finland’s state prosecutor said Ms Rasanen had made comments likely to cause intolerance, contempt and hatred towards homosexuals.
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After court costs, time spent in court for two trials and the ongoing danger to freedom of the accused:
Two Finnish Christian leaders have beaten hate speech charges filed against them for the second time. Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen – a 62-year-old medical doctor and grandmother of seven – and Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola were again found not guilty of hate speech by a court of appeals in Helsinki.