Päivi Räsänen: “This is not hate speech – it is love speech”

In an exclusive interview, Finnish politician and committed Christian Päivi Räsänen reflected on six years of legal battles and the future of Christian freedoms in Europe.

In September 2019, Evangelical Focus first reported on the criminal investigation against Finnish member of parliament Päivi Räsänen, following a tweet she posted in June of that year.

Almost six years later, and after two court victories, the case is still open in Finland’s highest court.

Räsänen, a committed Christian and medical doctor, is awaiting for a communication – “it could come any day”, she tells us. She never loses her smile, despite the wear and tear of the wait and the public exposure she has been dragged into because of this case.

However, she believes that God’s hand has guided things in such a way that she has experienced “more joy than suffering” during this legal trial that has also become a media trial.

The Finnish politician recounted her experience in Berlin to more than 1,000 evangelicals gathered at the European Congress of Evangelism.

At the conference, Evangelical Focus interviewed Räsänen about her personal experience and the broader implications of this court case in Finland for freedom of expression and religion in all of Europe.

[destacate]  “Surprisingly, this process has brought me more joy and a deeper awareness of God’s goodness than suffering”[/destacate]Question. It is now almost six years ago that we first learned on your case, the prosecutor’s charges against you for a tweet you posted on spring 2019. Now, in May 2025, where does your case stand?

Answer. Yes, this case has lasted almost six years now. I’ve been through multiple police interrogations, and the prosecutor filed charges.

I was tried in the Helsinki District Court, where I was acquitted of all three charges. Then the prosecutor appealed to the Court of Appeal, where I won again.

But the prosecutor has now taken the case to the Supreme Court of Finland, and the case is still pending there. It has been over a year now in the Supreme Court, so I am waiting for the decision to come any day.

A. There have certainly been some dark moments. But overall, I have truly felt that this has been in God’s hands.

There has been a purpose to this long process. It has opened up many opportunities to share the teachings of the Bible and the message of the Gospel with people in Finland—even in secular media.

Surprisingly, this process has brought me more joy and a deeper awareness of God’s goodness than suffering. I’ve had the chance to speak publicly about the foundations of our freedoms—freedom of speech and freedom of religion—which are increasingly under threat.

It all started with my social media post, where I criticized the Finnish Lutheran Church for supporting the Helsinki Pride event. I included a photo of Romans chapter 1 from the Bible, highlighting how the church’s actions contradicted biblical teaching on marriage and gender.

Interestingly, even secular media in Finland have referred to this as a “Bible trial”. It’s not just about me—it’s about whether the Bible can still be publicly defended.

At the heart of it is the question: Can we still trust the Bible? Not just in terms of gender or marriage, but also regarding salvation. Can we trust that Jesus died for our sins, and that He is the only way to eternal life?

Q. Do you think your case has raised public awareness or shifted support for freedom of speech?

[destacate]  “If I win in the Supreme Court, I think it will encourage people to use their freedoms more boldly”[/destacate]A. Yes, I believe it has. This case is a legal precedent in Finland—and potentially for Europe as well. We’ve never had a case quite like this before. It’s not just important for Christians, but for anyone who values the freedom to express deeply held beliefs, convictions, or faith.

If I win in the Supreme Court, I think it will encourage people to use their freedoms more boldly.

Right now, the greatest threat to these freedoms is self-censorship—people are afraid to speak out. But if I were to lose, it would effectively make it illegal to agree publicly with the Bible, particularly Romans chapter 1. That would mark a serious shift, possibly even the beginning of a kind of persecution for Bible-believing Christians.

So I am praying not just to win, but that the court’s decision will open up further opportunities to speak publicly about the Gospel and the biblical truths that are at stake.

Q. With your years of experience in politics, what do you see as the main challenges Christians are facing in Europe today?

A. One of the greatest challenges is the misuse of hate speech laws. These laws are increasingly being applied against Christians. What I have spoken is not hate—it is love speech. God is love, and His Word speaks truth in love.

However, powerful LGBT advocacy groups are influencing politics at the highest levels in Europe. They are actively working to restrict the freedom of Christians to express biblical views—on marriage, gender, the sanctity of life at the beginning and end of life, and more.

So yes, I see a real threat to freedom. That’s why I always encourage Christians to make use of the rights we still have: freedom of speech, freedom of religion. The more silent we are, the more our space to speak will shrink. That’s why it is essential that we continue to speak.

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