The criminal trial of a Finnish politician for tweeting a bible verse indicates what could occur in Scotland and Ireland when proposed new Hate Speech laws come into force, according to prominent human rights lawyer.

Paul Coleman, Executive Director of ADF International, British solicitor and author of “CENSORED: How European Hate Speech Laws are Threatening Freedom of Speech”, reflected on the parallels between the Finnish legislation and that which is pending in Scotland and Ireland:

“Few would have expected that in a Western democracy, in 2023, a public figure would be dragged before the courts simply for expressing her belief in the Bible.

The treatment of Päivi Räsänen because of her expression of faith “is a canary in the coalmine for what happens when we roll out laws which ban the vague and nebulous concept of ‘hate speech’, which can be interpreted as a right to censor any thought or opinion which lies outside of state approval”.