UPDATE: Jussi Halla-aho suspended from True Finns parliamentary group for two weeks

Facebook entry suggesting military rule as solution to crisis in Greece too much for Timo Soini

Jussi Halla-aho

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The parliamentary group of the opposition True Finns party decided at a meeting held on Thursday afternoon to suspend one of its members, Jussi Halla-aho from the group for two weeks.
      The party’s chairman Timo Soini called for a one month suspension on Wednesday after Halla-aho had written a Facebook entry suggesting that a military junta might be the right solution for the problems faced by Greece. Halla-aho soon took down his comment, but this did not stop the controversy.
     
The party’s parliamentary group leader Pirkko Ruohonen-Lerner was in favour of Soini’s motion. However, a number of True Finns’ MPs were opposed to a suspension.
      Timo Soini felt that a mere reprimand would not be enough, but he agreed to a compromise of a two-week suspension, which was accepted unanimously by the parliamentary group.
      Jussi Halla-aho himself accepted the move. Parliamentary group leader Pirkko Ruohonen-Lerner said that Halla-aho had promised to change his style.
     
Jussi Halla-aho was elected to Parliament in April, riding a wave of notoriety sparked by views on immigration and multiculturalism considered to be seriously politically incorrect. He had previously been elected to the Helsinki City Council as an independent on the True Finns ticket, and he did not become a member of the party until late last year.
      Helping consolidate his status among Finland’s xenophobe community was a conviction for defaming religion in 2009. He had said that Islam is a religion that sanctifies paedophilia, and that the Prophet Muhammad was a paedophile.
     
A few weeks ago Jussi Halla-aho raised the ire of Social Democratic Party parliamentary group leader Jouni Backman, who denounced a blog entry in which Halla-aho had commented on the recent tragedy in Norway, suggesting that it proves that multiculturalism does not work.
     
There have even been suggestions that Soini’s reaction to Halla-aho’s Facebook entry may signal the start of a power struggle within the party.
      Some see the possibility that the friction between Halla-aho’s faction and the rest of the party could eventually lead to a split within the True Finns, who made spectacular gains in the recent parliamentary elections.

More on this subject:
 EDITORIAL: Halla-aho confronts the real world

Previously in HS International Edition:
  BREAKING NEWS: Soini wants MP Halla-aho suspended from True Finns parliamentary group (14.9.2011)
  Halla-aho refuses to comment on controversial blog entries (21.4.2011)

See also:
  Court finds City Council member guilty of insulting religion (9.9.2009)
  What does Jussi Halla-aho really want? (2.12.2008)

Helsingin Sanomat