False campaign posters depicting presidential candidates Jussi Halla-aho (Finns) and Pekka Haavisto (Green) have been spotted at Helsinki tram stops using potentially defamatory language.
The Halla-aho posters, which at first glance resemble official campaign advertisements, were altered to display phrases such as "Fascist Halla-aho" and "Finland must be a safe space for Nazis."
A similar false advertisement of Haavisto was spotted in Helsinki, falsely attributing a quote to the candidate.
Advance voting is already underway in Finland's presidential election, with the first round taking place on 28 January.
Halla-aho's campaign team confirmed to Yle that the image was indeed doctored and not endorsed by their campaign. The team only became aware of the manipulated posters following an inquiry by Yle.
Halla-aho, who has previously filed two criminal complaints against individuals labelling him as a fascist, has yet to comment on whether similar action will be taken regarding this incident. A spokesperson for his campaign office said candidates should be allowed to campaign in peace, free of any such harassment.
Haavisto's campaign manager Ville Hulkkonen confirmed that the picture is not part of Haavisto's campaign.
"It is sad and dangerous that in one of the most important democratic elections in Finland someone wants to manipulate the election in such a way," he told Yle.
Election related stories — including profiles of each candidate — can be found here.
Yle News published "A really simple guide to Finland's 2024 presidential election", which includes information about the election and offers some insight about its history.
Possible defamation
Associate professor of criminal law Tatu Hyttinen from the University of Turku says that the posters may be guilty of defamation.
"Clearly, in the old terminology, it is a case of insult, that is defaming a person by causing them harm and contempt. It may meet the criteria for defamation," Hyttinen said.
The campaign teams are taking steps to have the posters removed.
Elina Valtia, CEO of JCDecaux, the firm responsible for tram stop advertisements, said that immediate action would be taken to remove any unauthorised posters. Valtia emphasised the company's policy of filing a criminal complaint whenever an unauthorised advertisement is detected, viewing the act as a breach of their property.
The latest episode of All Points North looks into the main issues on voters' minds as they cast their ballots. Listen to the episode via this embedded player, on Yle Areena, via Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
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