Finland’s government is under intense scrutiny and facing allegations of racism from various Asian nations following an incident involving its representative at the 2025 Miss Universe competition. The controversy erupted when a photo of Sarah Dzafce, the former Miss Finland, pulling the corners of her eyes surfaced on social media, leading to her dethronement. The image, accompanied by a caption deemed offensive, sparked outrage in both Finland and Asia, with many condemning it as discriminatory towards Asians.
Dzafce, who claimed she was attempting to alleviate a headache in the photo, stated that a friend had shared the private image without her consent and added the controversial caption. Despite issuing an apology on social media, expressing regret and emphasizing her commitment to accountability and learning from the incident, Dzafce did not respond to further inquiries.
In response to the backlash, the Miss Finland Organization stripped Dzafce of her title, acknowledging the distress caused by the incident and denouncing racism in all forms. The situation escalated when far-right Finnish politicians supported Dzafce by posting their own photos mimicking the offensive gesture, fueling further controversy.
The uproar extended to Asia, prompting Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo to issue apologies in various Asian languages via Finnish embassy social media accounts to countries like Japan and South Korea. Orpo emphasized Finland’s dedication to combating racism and discrimination, stressing the importance of political figures setting positive examples.
The incident has also sparked discussions of a potential travel boycott to Finland, with Japan expressing concerns and hopes for appropriate action from Helsinki. Despite Finland’s popularity as a tourist destination for Asian visitors, calls for boycotting travel to Finland and its flagship airline, Finnair, have emerged, impacting the airline’s international operations, as confirmed by Päivyt Tallqvist, Finnair’s senior vice-president of communications.
