On Thursday, Oct. 30, Finnish politician Päivi Räsänen had her day in court. Again.
Räsänen, a former interior minister, and Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola, are being adjudicated for alleged hate speech after Räsänen tweeted a Bible verse questioning her church’s participation in a Pride event and co-authored a booklet with Pohjola outlining her beliefs on marriage and sexuality. Prosecutors claimed both constituted hate speech. Though Räsänen was twice acquitted in lower courts in Helsinki, the case will now be decided by the Finnish Supreme Court.
Beyond Finland, the case is just one moving part in an evolving, broadening battle over free speech that is escalating across the Atlantic.
Räsänen has become a rallying point for conservatives and religious groups who argue that European courts and laws like the Digital Services Act risk unduly restricting free expression and religious belief online under the guise of combating “hate speech.”
A key player in these debates is ADF International, the global arm of the Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal organization based in Arizona, that is coordinating Räsänen’s legal defense. In the U.S., ADF is known for its efforts to help overturn Roe v. Wade as well as more recently bringing a case seeking to overturn laws banning conversion therapy for minors.
In Europe, ADF International has joined conservative politicians and allied religious organizations in arguing the DSA’s broad requirements for removing “harmful” or “illegal” content give tech platforms and regulators excessive power to silence dissenting views. Supporters of the European Union law counter that it includes reasonable safeguards to curb hate speech and disinformation, aiming to make digital spaces safer without undermining legitimate debate or religious expression.
