The Helsinki councillor Jussi Halla-aho (True Finns/Independent) and the prosecutor have both expressed their dissatisfaction with last week’s court ruling.
Both parties informed the Helsinki District Court of their view by the appeals deadline.
Last week the Helsinki District Court fined Halla-aho EUR 330 for violating the sanctity of religion. The charges of incitement against an ethnic group were dismissed by the court.
In June last year, Halla-aho associated Islam with paedophilia in his blog writings. In addition he wrote that robbing passers-by and scrounging on taxpayers’ money might be a national or even a genetic characteristic of a certain people.
Halla-aho has denied that the aim of his writings would have been to insult or to incite.
In his view the charges should have been dropped altogether.
The prosecution in the case, on the other hand, is of the opinion that Halla-aho should have been convicted of the second indictment as well.
In addition, the prosecution is displeased with the leniency of the punishment handed down.
Next the case will go to the Helsinki Court of Appeal.
