HELSINKI, Finland (AP) — Finland’s government is facing intense pressure and accusations of racism from several Asian countries after photos of Finland’s representatives in the 2025 Miss Universe beauty pageant were seen pulling their eyes, and some Finnish politicians posted photos of themselves repeating the gesture.
Sarah Dzafce lost her Miss Finland crown last week after a photo of her pulling the skin around her eyes went viral on social media. The photo and its caption, “Eating with Chinese,” were condemned by Finnish and Asian governments and commentators as discriminatory against Asians.
Zafis, who won Miss Finland in September, told Finnish media that she was trying to relieve her headaches. She said a friend shared the private photo and wrote the caption without her input, The Helsinki Times reported. Zavche did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press on Thursday.
Dzafce posted an apology on social media on December 8 and said she had no intention of hurting anyone.
“The title of Miss Finland is not only a crown for me, but also a responsibility. Responsibility for how I speak, how I act and how my actions affect people,” she wrote in Finnish.
She added: “I take responsibility for my actions and will learn from them.”
Days later, the Miss Finland organization revoked her status as Miss Finland 2025 – known as “Miss Suomi” in Finnish.
“The events of recent days have caused deep hurt, disappointment and concern in Finland and internationally – and that is completely understandable,” the organization wrote on social media. “We are deeply sorry for the hurt these events have caused. Especially to the Asian community, but also to all those affected. Racism of any kind is unacceptable.”
When Zafiče lost her crown, the controversy intensified as several far-right Finnish politicians rallied around her. Members of parliament who are part of the ruling coalition posted photos of themselves pulling at the skin around their eyes.
Outrage spread across Asia, prompting Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo to apologize to several countries, including Japan and South Korea, in a statement in various languages posted on the Finnish embassy’s social media account.
“These posts do not reflect Finnish values of equality and inclusion,” Orpo’s statement said. “Racism and discrimination have no place in Finnish society. Our message to Finland and all our friends abroad is that the government takes racism seriously and is committed to combating this problem. Finland always strives to do better. Politicians have a responsibility to set an example in this regard.”
The Japanese government has contacted the Finnish Embassy in Tokyo to express concerns.
The top spokesperson of the Japanese government and Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said that Japan hopes to maintain close communication with Helsinki.
“It is my understanding that the Finnish prime minister issued a statement expressing his deepest apology for the recent insulting posts on social media by some parliamentarians,” Kihara said. “As the Japanese government, we have expressed our concerns about the case and our expectations for an appropriate response through the local embassy.”
Finland is a major tourist destination for Asian tourists, and some users on social platform X called for a boycott of travel to Finland and the country’s largest airline, Finnair.
Päivyt Tallqvist, the airline’s senior vice president for communications, told Finnish broadcaster Yle that the scandal had hurt the airline’s international business, without providing details.