Finland’s government is under mounting pressure — and facing accusations of racism from several Asian countries — after its representative to the 2025 Miss Universe pageant was photographed pulling the corners of her eyes, and some Finnish politicians later posted images mimicking the same gesture.
Sarah Dzafce lost her Miss Finland crown last week after a photo circulated widely on social media late last month. In the image, Dzafce appears to pull the skin at the corners of her eyes, alongside a caption that read “eating with a Chinese.” The post drew widespread condemnation in Finland and across parts of Asia, where officials and commentators denounced it as discriminatory toward Asians.
Dzafce, who won the title in September, told Finnish media she had been trying to ease a headache. The Helsinki Times reported that she said a friend shared the private photo and added the caption without her involvement. Dzafce did not respond to The Associated Press’ request for comment on Thursday.
On Dec. 8, Dzafce posted an apology on social media, saying she never intended to hurt anyone.
“The Miss Finland title is not just a crown for me, but also a responsibility. A responsibility for how I speak, how I act, and how my actions can affect people,” she wrote in Finnish.
She continued: “I take responsibility for my actions and will learn from this.”
Days later, the Miss Finland Organization revoked her status as Miss Finland 2025 — known as Miss Suomi in Finnish.
“The events of recent days have caused deep hurt, disappointment, and concern both in Finland and internationally — fully understandably,” the organization wrote on social media. “We are deeply sorry for the harm these events have caused. Especially to the Asian community, but also to everyone affected. Racism is never acceptable in any form.”
The controversy escalated further after several far-right Finnish politicians publicly backed Dzafce following the loss of her crown. Members of parliament from the ruling coalition posted their own photos pulling the skin around their eyes, intensifying criticism both at home and abroad.
As the backlash spread across Asia, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo issued apologies to multiple countries — including Japan and South Korea — through statements published in their languages on Finnish embassy social media accounts.
“These posts do not reflect Finland’s values of equality and inclusion,” Orpo’s statement said. “Racism and discrimination have no place in Finnish society. Our message in Finland and to all our friends abroad is that the Government takes racism seriously and is committed to combat the issue. Finland always aims to do better. Politicians have a responsibility to serve as examples in this respect.”
Japan’s government contacted the Finnish embassy in Tokyo to convey its concerns.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, Japan’s top government spokesperson, said Tokyo hopes to remain in close contact with Helsinki.
“I understand that Finnish Prime Minister issued a statement expressing his deepest apology for the recent insulting posts made on social media by some parliamentarians,” Kihara said. “As the Japanese government, we have conveyed via the local embassy our concern about the case and expectations for an appropriate response.”
Finland, a popular destination for Asian tourists, is now seeing calls online for a boycott — including appeals on X urging people to avoid travel to Finland and to stop flying Finnair, the country’s largest airline.
Päivyt Tallqvist, Finnair’s senior vice president of communications, told Finnish broadcaster Yle that the scandal has harmed the company’s international operations, though she did not provide details.
