A young Black woman who was subjected to racist abuse after being selected to lead celebrations of a Swedish festival of light in Helsinki has received an apology from the Finnish prime minister.
According to the Swedish tradition, each year a young woman or girl is chosen to represent Saint Lucia by dressing in a costume of a white gown, red waistband and crown of candles as part of the official annual festivities in Finland at the Lutheran Cathedral on 13 December to mark the shortest day according to the Julian calendar.
About 5% of people in Finland, which until 1809 was part of Sweden, speak Swedish as their native language, which is one of two national languages in the Nordic country.
Daniela Owusu, 20, who is Finnish Ghanaian, received thousands of hate messages after on Friday becoming Finland’s first Black Lucia. The organisers have reported the abuse to police and the discrimination ombudsman and are considering taking legal action.
During a visit to the Finnish parliament on Tuesday, where the Lucia choir sang in the state hall, the prime minister, Petteri Orpo, met the group and said he was sorry for the comments to which Owusu had been subjected, adding that he wanted to build a safe and equal Finland.
Orpo’s office said it was a “spontaneous meeting” and that it had no further comment to add.
The racist abuse came a week after Finland’s independence day celebrations were overshadowed by a far-right march through the capital attended by Teemu Keskisarja, an MP for the far-right Finns party, which is part of the government.
Folkhälsan, the organisation behind the festival, said the “stream of racist messages” were “deeply distressing” and that it may take legal action.
It thanked those who had sent messages of support from around the country.
Viveca Hagmark, the association’s director, said: “We would like to warmly thank everyone who showed their support for Finland’s Lucia 2024 and took a stand against racism. You are in the majority, and your commitment shows that there is a strong public opinion against racism.”
Anna Hellerstedt, its CEO, added that it had “worked actively for diversity and inclusion, against racism. These events clearly show that more work is still needed against racism.”
After winning the public vote to be Lucia, Owusu had said that she wanted to act as a role model to inspire others. “It would be important to have a Lucia who represents multiculturalism and to show that Lucia can look many ways,” she said.
The newspaper Helsingen Sanomat said in an editorial that the reaction to this year’s event marked the culmination of a year-long debate of “dark racism” in Finland, condemning those who “find a reason for aggression and hatred in a celebration of light, hope and kindness”.
“This year has also been filled with discussions about racism,” the editorial said, adding: “Yet societal debate has become increasingly stale, hostile, and less tolerant of different perspectives. Racism has become a political performance.”
