No one should remain silent accomplice of racism

The despicable derogatory gestures posed against Asians by Miss Finland and some Finnish lawmakers, all public figures, are shocking reminders that racism is still a big issue in the 21st century and deserves the strongest condemnation.

The infamous scandal began last week when Sarah Dzafce, the 2025 Miss Finland, was stripped of the title by the beauty pageant organizers after she shared a photo on social media last month showing her pulling back the corner of her eyes and squinting, with the caption "eating with a Chinese person".

For anyone with basic knowledge, this is hugely offensive not just to Chinese but all East Asians due to the historical stereotype that looks down upon them as an inferior race.

More outrageous was the public support for the racial gesture expressed on social media by Finnish parliament members Juho Eerola and Kaisa Garedew and member of European Parliament Sebastian Tynkkynen. All three are from the right-wing populist Finns Party, which is part of the ruling coalition government and a party known for its anti-immigration and anti-refugee policies. Eerola's posting "Je suis Sarah" (I'm Sarah) with a photo of himself pulling his eyes is nothing but a declaration that he strongly supports racism.

The racial insult has triggered outrage from Chinese, Japanese, Koreans and other Asian groups both in Asia and around the world, with some calling for the boycott of Finnish products and avoiding visiting Finland.

I was happy to see that some Finns have publicly condemned the racist politicians on social media, including in response to my postings. I applauded the beauty pageant organizers for making the principled decision that there should be zero tolerance for racism.

It was commendable that Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo on Tuesday denounced the derogatory images, saying he does not accept racism in any form. On the same day, the Finnish government's parliamentary group chairpersons also condemned the posts by their colleagues.

While it would have been much better for them to come out earlier, other Finnish leaders, European and European Union leaders, politicians and news outlets should not remain silent given how hasty they usually are in condemning various incidents in other parts of the world.

The European diplomatic corps in Beijing and other East Asian capitals should also make their stance clear and not remain silent accomplices of this reprehensible behavior. There should be no hypocrisy or double standards when it comes to racism and hate against Asians.

Condemning such racism is not just about protecting the image of Finland and Finnish business interests, but sending an unequivocal message that racism has no room anywhere in the world.

The latest incident followed the wild hate against Asians during the COVID-19 pandemic when many people of Asian descent were discriminated against and attacked across Europe and North America.

One Western scholar who has done extensive research on the subject told me years ago that racism is still deep-rooted in Western society when people post anonymous messages on social media or in private settings. It means that fighting racism is still a long and tough battle.

Dzafce has apologized for her action and announced that she would stay away from social media. But it would be better if she made things right by actively fighting against racism, especially when she once claimed that she had herself experienced racism as the daughter of a Kosovar father and a Finnish mother.

Unlike Dzafce, the Finnish lawmakers have not offered a sincere apology for their derogatory behavior. They should definitely be sanctioned by their party, the coalition government, the Finnish parliament and European Parliament to show that there is zero tolerance for racism.

The latest incident is a wake-up call that racism should not be tolerated anywhere in the world.

The author is a China Daily columnist.