The criminal trial of a Finnish politician for tweeting a bible verse indicates what could occur in Scotland and Ireland [1] 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”.