HELSINKI – Green minister between a rock and a hard place

After some 150 activists from the Extinction Rebellion environmental group did a sit-down protest on Saturday (3 October) in a street in Helsinki, which ended with police pepper-spraying protesters at close range and arresting 51 people, including three minors, Interior Minister and Green Party Chair Maria Ohisalo said that Finnish police is known to have a good international reputation, but noted that actions should be proportionate and force used as a last resort. As a nod to the demonstrators, she underlined that in a welfare state everyone can voice their opinion.

On social media, however, the police has been criticised for how it handled the situation, particularly for its use of disproportionate and brutal force.

Since its foundation in London in 2016, Extinction Rebellion has organised demonstrations around Europe, at least in Vienna, Madrid, Berlin and Amsterdam.

In Helsinki, the group has manifested its presence five times within a year by for example trying to stop cruise ship Queen Elizabeth.

An investigation into the course of events is on the way. Similar incidents have ended up in the European Court of Human Rights.

Whether Saturday’s event will become a political burden for Ohisalo remains to be seen. What is certain is that Extinction Rebellion gained a lot of publicity and entered the public consciousness. (Pekka Vänttinen | EURACTIV.com)