Helsinki Police have received four criminal complaints against Finns Party deputy chair and MP Teemu Keskisarja following his comments on immigration during Wednesday evening's Yle's A-studio talk show.
Police said in a statement it is assessing whether there are grounds to open a preliminary investigation.
Two further complaints have been filed with the office of the Parliamentary Ombudsman, which oversees the legality of government authorities in Finland. Officials there said more complaints could follow as the issue gains media attention.
Anyone can lodge a complaint with the Ombudsman if they believe authorities have acted unlawfully or violated fundamental rights. Such cases can lead to official findings, corrective measures or even further investigations.
Keskisarja drew criticism after comments made on Wednesday's edition of A-studio, where he alleged that immigrants are turning Finland "into a developing country, a pigsty and a massacre".
He also called incoming migrants "low quality" and said the "great replacement" conspiracy theory was a "fact".
The great replacement theory claims that Western populations are being deliberately replaced with immigrants. The Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (Supo) has stated that the conspiracy theory is linked to the justification of far-right violence.
Freedom of expression
Helsinki University criminal law professor Kimmo Nuotio told Yle that Keskisarja's remarks are permissible as political rhetoric, protected under Finland's freedom of expression.
"Freedom of speech includes the right to voice opinions that are unconventional or pointed, and may not be ethically acceptable," Nuotio explained.
At the same time, Nuotio said he did not consider Keskisarja's comments to be harmless. Words are also acts, carrying real consequences, he said.
"Equality, human rights, human dignity, and other fundamental rights form the foundation of society, and they belong to everyone," Nuotio added.
The case was first reported by tabloid Ilta-Sanomat.
