Finland's Non-Discrimination Ombudsman intends to take a stand against the racist messages sent to Daniela Owusu, who became a target for abuse after being chosen as this year's Lucia.
The Deputy Ombudsman, Robin Harms, told Yle that the office has already been in contact with Folkhälsan, the NGO which organises the annual festival.
"There have been a lot of [racist] messages. We want to find out how orchestrated this was and who may be behind it," Harms told Yle's radio breakfast show Ykkösaamu.
Owusu was the centre of the St Lucia Day celebrations at Helsinki's Lutheran Cathedral on Friday, an annual traditional ceremony which sees a young woman — chosen by public vote — donning a wreath carrying candles on 13 December.
On Sunday, Folkhälsan reported that Owusu, her relatives and the organisation had received a barrage of racist abuse via social media.
Yle understands that at least one criminal report has been filed with police over the messages, while Folkhälsan told news agency STT that it is also considering whether to file a report with law enforcement.
Harms told Yle that the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman's office also plans to contact the police, as many of the messages may meet the criteria of defamation or ethnic agitation.
He added that now, the main priority is to support Owusu because she has had to deal with the racist abuse.
"Maybe we will return to these legal matters after Christmas. We believe that justice must be done," Harms said.
He noted, however, that only a very small percentage of racist acts or hate speech are reported to the authorities in Finland as many victims do not believe that the perpetrators will be caught or held accountable.
In addition, the criminal process may take a long time, he added.
"For example, in this case, we have to think carefully about whether years of legal proceedings are in [Owusu's] best interest," Harms said.
Anti-racism campaign sparks flood of donations
Finnish social media has seen strong reactions about the racist abuse directed at Owusu.
One post, which calls on people opposed to racism to donate money to Folkhälsan's charity effort, has been shared hundreds of times.
The organisation uses the donations to send children from low-income families to summer camps and also supports women who have experienced domestic violence.
"We are immensely grateful for all the support we are receiving right now. Above all, we are grateful for the support given to the Lucia of Finland, Daniela Owusu," Folkhälsan's HR and Development Manager Stina Heikkilä said, adding that donations are up four- or five-fold compared to previous years.
"This is completely unacceptable"
In an opinion piece in the Swedish-language daily Huvstadsbladet, the Bishop of Porvoo Bo-Göran Åstrand wrote that the issue of skin colour has no place in the Lucia festival, noting that Saint Lucia was a Sicilian woman who lived from circa 283 to 304 AD.
"This is completely unacceptable," Åstrand wrote, adding that any claim that Lucia should be fair-skinned is both historically untenable and an indication of white privilege.
"A lot has changed since Swedish university students held their boisterous Lucia celebrations in the 1800s, when men dressed up as Lucia," he added.
