Former Miss Finland Sarah Dzafce in Helsinki, December 11, 2025. EMMI KORHONEN / AP
The situation has become all too familiar: True Finns officials (Perussuomalaiset, a far-right party that has been part of the governing coalition since June 2023) have regularly been found making racist remarks or gestures. The opposition expresses outrage. Conservative Prime Minister Petteri Orpo condemns the actions and promises that his government will actively combat racism. Meanwhile, Riikka Purra, the party leader, excuses her colleagues and reassures her supporters that nothing will change.
This time, however, the coalition leaders seem to have underestimated the weight of international reactions. The controversy began with a selfie posted on Instagram in late November by Sarah Dzafce, Miss Finland. In the photo, the young woman is seen stretching her eyes with her fingers, accompanied by the comment: "Eating Chinese." The image went viral, sparking a storm of criticism. Sarah Dzafce initially claimed she was suffering from "severe headaches," before apologizing and being forced to give up her crown.
That was all it took for two True Finns MPs, Juho Eerola and Kaisa Garedew, as well as Member of the European Parliament Sebastian Tynkkynen, to post photos of themselves making the same slant-eye gesture, with one adding the message, "I am Sarah." Perhaps hoping to end the controversy without offending his coalition partners, Orpo described the gesture as "childish." But in Asia, Finnair's customers expressed outrage. The Asian market accounts for 36% of the group's revenue, which is majority-owned by the Finnish state.
