Israeli embassy in Finland subjected to relentless anti-Semitic attacks
Over the past year and a half, the embassy in the capital of Helsinki has been vandalized on at least 15 occasions by neo-Nazi extremists who among other things shattered glass doors, plastered swastikas and Hitler images all over the building
The embassy, located in the capital city of Helsinki, has been targeted by far-right extremists and neo-Nazis on at least 15 occasions since last 2018, yet stopping the harassment doesn’t seem to be a priority for the local authorities.
The latest attack saw the glass in the embassy’s front door completely shattered with swastikas and Hitler images plastered all over the building's entrance.
Last February an illegal demonstration took place at the embassy’s doorstep, organized by the Nordic Resistance Movement, a far-right transnational neo-Nazi group founded in Sweden (where it’s classified as a political party).
Israeli Ambassador to Finland Dov Segev-Steinberg has raised the issue with the local authorities on multiple occasions. But, while senior officials in the country express concern over the situation, tough measures against the perpetrators are yet to be implemented.
"Over the weekend there was a physical attack on the Israeli embassy in Helsinki,” The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “It’s another link in the chain of anti-Semitic attacks targeting the embassy.
“The Israeli Embassy in Helsinki expressed its disgust over the events to the Finnish authorities and demanded they act in full force to locate the culprits, bring them to justice and prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.”
Anti-Semitism in the Nordic country has become more prominent in recent years. On Finland's Independence Day last year (celebrated on December 6), right-wing extremist waved multiple Nazi flags in the center of the capital.
Kai Aslak Mykkänen, the country’s former interior minister, defended the act saying the country has the freedom of expression.
In addition, Finnish MP Hussein al-Taee of the Social Democratic Party has in the past compared Israel to Islamic State and called Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg a “Jew” who’s “doing what a Jew does best. F***s up everybody to gain everything.” The lawmaker later apologized for his remarks.
