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Finland’s representative last month Miss Universe pageant in Thailand There has been an uproar after a photo shared on social media showed him performing The gesture is widely considered racist.
Sarah Dazafs’ actions caused a reaction throughout East Asia and led to criticism of not only the model but also the country’s national brand.
Ms Dazafs was stripped of her Miss Finland title because the photo showed her pulling up the corners of her eyes and making a squinting gesture – which is widely considered racist towards East Asians, particularly Chinese.
The photo, posted in late November with the caption “Eating with sugar”, has sparked outrage in China, Japan and South Korea, where users have accused the 22-year-old. Racial epithets.
The backlash soon grew to include Finland’s national airline, Finnair, which faced criticism online despite having no involvement in the incident.
Ms Dezfs said the gesture was her reaction to a “severe headache” and blamed her friend for adding the caption to the post without her permission.
However, he apologized after it caused “ill will among many people”.
“This was not my intention in any way… one of the most important things to me is respect for people, their backgrounds and differences,” she wrote in an Instagram post.
On Tuesday, Finland’s prime minister publicly criticized the gesture, calling it “thoughtless and foolish” and warning that the episode was “damaging” to the country’s international reputation.
“Yesterday, during a debate in parliament, I said this has harmed our country. That’s definitely the case,” Petteri Orpo told reporters Tuesday after a summit with European countries near the Russian border.
“Personally, I don’t condone racism in any form,” he said.
The issue escalated when two members of Parliament, Kaisa Garedeu and Juho Erola, also posted similar photos to support Ms Dzafas. The post was criticized and Mr Airola was forced to apologise. He said he felt Ms. Dazafs had been given a “disproportionately harsh sentence.”
Jukka Kopra, chairman of the Finnish government’s parliamentary group, condemned the series of incidents as “disgraceful” and “inappropriate”, saying “this should not have happened”.
Mr Orpo said he believed the parliamentary group would “deal with this matter with appropriate seriousness”.
Finnish airline Finnair said the post had affected the company and it faced calls for a boycott.
“We have received numerous comments on Finnair’s Japan
“The message in the comments is consistent: do not travel to this country, do not travel with Finnair.”
In a separate statement on X from its Japanese account, it said: “The statements or posts mentioned by some Finnish members of parliament do not represent Finnair’s values.”
It reads, “As an airline supported by employees from diverse backgrounds and customers around the world, we promise to welcome everyone with respect.”
Tara Lehtonen, who finished second in the competition, has been chosen as the new Miss Finland.
“I promise to carry this title with pride and deep respect,” the Helsinki native said in a post on social media.
MexicoFatima Bosch crowned winner at the 74th Grand Finale miss Universe competition in bangkok, Thailand, The annual event followed weeks of controversy. Representatives from 120 countries competed, including Nadine JobJo became the first woman to represent the Palestinian people in the competition and reached the top 30 before being eliminated.