A public controversy erupted in Finland after the country’s Miss Finland for twenty twenty-five sparked anger across East Asia by posting a photograph in which she appeared to pull the corners of her eyes, a gesture widely regarded as racially offensive toward East Asian peoples.

The image was accompanied by the caption, “Eating with a Chinese”.

The incident provoked strong reactions in Japan and elsewhere in the region.

The beauty queen, twenty-two-year-old Sara Dzapsa, later said the photo was misunderstood.

She claimed she had been reacting to a headache during dinner and that a friend had added the offensive caption without her permission.

Dzapsa issued an apology, acknowledging that the image caused pain to many people.

She said the offense was unintentional and emphasized that respect for people, their backgrounds, and their differences is among her core values.

The explanation did not persuade the organizers of the Miss Finland competition, who decided to revoke her title, stating that her actions had disgraced the crown.

Following the decision, three members of parliament from the Finns Party, a right-wing populist party that is part of the governing coalition, publicly expressed support for Dzapsa.

They argued that she had been subjected to disproportionate criticism.

To demonstrate their solidarity, the lawmakers posted selfies of themselves making the same eye-pulling gesture.

Their actions ignited a second wave of outrage inside Finland and abroad.

According to reports in Finland, the renewed controversy also harmed Finnish business interests in Japan, including those linked to the national airline, Finnair.

In response, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo issued a formal apology to the citizens of Japan, China, and South Korea.

In a statement published on the social media pages of Finnish embassies in those countries, he said he sincerely apologized for the offensive posts made by certain members of parliament.

He stressed that such behavior does not reflect Finland’s values of equality and inclusion and stated clearly that racism and discrimination have no place in Finnish society.

The lawmakers involved, Kaisa Gerdt, Juho Arula, and Sebastian Tynkkynen, responded differently to the backlash.

Gerdt said she saw no reason to apologize, while Arula and Tynkkynen expressed regret, though Tynkkynen maintained that his gesture was not intended to offend anyone.

Their parliamentary group is expected to meet to decide whether disciplinary measures will be imposed.

Since taking office in twenty twenty-three, Finland’s current government has faced several controversies linked to remarks and actions by members of the Finns Party.

As recently as August, a party lawmaker drew condemnation after saying that immigrants were turning Finland into a “pigsty”.