Päivi Räsänen, leader of the Christian Democrats and a medical doctor, has been charged with three hate crimes against homosexuals. The Attorney General believes that Räsänen’s statements are likely to cause intolerance, contempt and hatred towards homosexuals, the prosecutor writes.

Räsänen, who was Finland’s Interior Minister between 2011 and 2014, will have to defend herself in court for social media posts in which she quoted Roman 1:24-27 to criticise the participation of the Finnish Lutheran Church, of which she is a member, in the 2019 LGBT Pride festivals. She is also charged with the content of a booklet about the Bible and sexuality. The third charge is for her remarks in a radio talk show, where she was invited to speak about the issue “What would Jesus think about homosexuals?”

Evangelical Focus writes that the politician is “shocked” about the charges filed against her. According to Räsänen, the problem is “far greater than a sentence of a fine or an imprisonment”. “This is a demand for censorship”, the politician says, "This sort of judgement would open up an avenue leading to modern book burnings”.