Far-right Finnish politician, Jari Nalli, caused a stir when he allegedly suggested shooting illegal border crossers in a Facebook post on his private account, which he later deleted. The suggestion was met with criticism from many individuals and organizations.
In another Facebook post, Nalli clarified that his opinion about the matter was personal and did not specify any details about the individuals who should be shot or which country’s border this should be done at. He acknowledged that he had a personal opinion but chose not to share it to avoid causing further controversy.
Nalli is a local political influencer and a substitute member of the Lappeenranta City Council for the Perussuomalaiset (Finns Party) council group. Despite losing his seat in the council in the 2017 municipal elections, he continues to have an impact on the party at the local level, as reported by the Finnish media.
Sami Behm, the chairman of the Finns Party in Lappeenranta, commented on Nalli’s controversial writings, stating that they seemed rude and were the man’s own thoughts.
In response to several cases of irregular immigration, Finland has recently taken measures, including keeping its border with Russia closed until February 11. The Finnish authorities accuse Russia of the recent influx of migrants and are considering constructing additional temporary barriers at the border to prevent irregular migration.
Furthermore, Finnish authorities are investigating several cases of organized illegal migration at the eastern border, suspecting the involvement of criminal groups from the Middle East, Russia, Europe, and Finland. As long as the border closure remains in effect, Finland has declared that they will not accept applications for international protection at its eastern border, with applications only being accepted at designated border crossing points.
The situation involving irregular migration at the Finnish-Russian border continues to evolve, and the Finnish government is taking action to address the issue.
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