In an interview with Yle, Finland’s new Non-Discrimination Ombudsman, Rainer Hiltunen, says he believes recent government decisions have undermined equality and fairness in the country.
Residence permit and citizenship rules have been tightened and integration funding cut — changes that, according to Hiltunen, risk portraying Finland as unwelcoming and closed off.
He adds that "the cuts have been so severe" that probably no one thinks Finland has achieved its goal of enabling people from diverse backgrounds to access education and participate in building society.
It has been reported that cuts to social security, public services and funding for organisations have most often impacted groups in vulnerable positions, including people with disabilities.
According to Hiltunen, experts agree that the cuts’ combined impact has been dramatic, with the government failing to consider the consequences when making its decisions.
Hiltunen, who moved in August from the role of Equality Ombudsman to Non-Discrimination Ombudsman, is a trained lawyer.
Hiltunen: MP remarks reflect party values
Hiltunen also weighed in on the recent racism controversy involving the government. The autumn budget discussions were overshadowed by uproar over racist remarks made by Finns Party vice-chair Teemu Keskisarja.
Keskisarja described immigrants arriving in Finland as "low quality" and said they were turning the country "into a developing country, a pigsty, and a bloodbath". According to the Ombudsman, the remarks reflect the values that have guided the Finns Party in shaping immigration legislation.
"Seeking attention through racism is widely seen as unacceptable. Freedom of speech has legal limits, including comparisons of people to animals or suggesting they are inferior," Hiltunen said.
Several criminal complaints were filed over Keskisarja’s statements, but on Tuesday, Helsinki police announced there was no reason to suspect a crime had been committed.
Before the autumn budget session, all party leaders publicly affirmed their commitment to the government’s equality agenda. Hiltunen said Keskisarja’s remarks clearly met the government’s own definition of racism and questioned whether the government’s broader actions have lived up to its statements.
"Many hope the government will move beyond declarations and take real steps to advance equality," he said.
With less than two years until the next elections, Hiltunen urged the government to prioritise policies that counteract measures that have weakened equality and fairness. Key initiatives, he noted, include implementing directives on gender pay equality and support for victims of discrimination.
State can't dictate how people dress
Hiltunen expressed a clear stance on the summer’s renewed debate over niqabs and burkas, which was sparked when Finland’s Minister of Social Security, Sanni Grahn-Laasonen (NCP), stated on social media that such face coverings do not belong in schools.
In August, Interior Minister Mari Rantanen (Finns Party) said her ministry would review a possible ban on face coverings in public spaces.
Hiltunen said it would be "baffling if in the 2020s the state dictated how people dress on streets or in schools."
He noted that women’s clothing has historically been a target of control. Rather than regulating dress, he proposes a law protecting individuals’ right to choose their clothing.
Hiltunen says Finland should criminalise forcing someone to dress or behave a certain way, a move the government is already reviewing. Such a law would protect personal choices in relationships, family or religion, including decisions about clothing or leaving abusive situations.
Transparency in Ombudsman appointment
Hiltunen's career began in the 1990s as secretary general of Seta, Finland's main association for gender and sexual minority rights, before moving to roles in the Equality Ombudsman offices.
His appointment as Non-Discrimination Ombudsman came amid controversy, after his predecessor, Kristina Stenman, was denied a second term following reported clashes with the Finns Party over Muslim asylum seekers.
Stenman was appointed under the Swedish People’s Party (SPP) Justice Minister Anna-Maja Henriksson and has a political background in the party. Hiltunen was nominated by the Finns Party Minister of Justice Leena Meri and has no party affiliation. He described his relationship with all parties, including the Finns Party, as "warm".
Hiltunen says that the appointment process should be more transparent and not left solely in the hands of a minister.
Hiltunen underscores that an Ombudsman must act independently and critically evaluate those in power.
"I see myself as a kind of smoke detector; not everyone likes the sound, but it’s necessary," he says.
