Police secured the Blue-and-Black Movement’s demonstration in Tampere on May Day, 1 May 2025. Photo: Eelis Berglund / Str / Lehtikuva
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An openly fascist political group in Finland is poised to return to the country’s official party register after gathering the required number of supporter cards.
The Blue-and-Black Movement, founded by former members of the Finns Party with strong ethnonationalist views, has submitted 5,000 verified support statements to the Ministry of Justice. The ministry confirmed that the group now meets the legal conditions to be re-registered as a political party.
Arto Jääskeläinen, head of election administration at the ministry, told Yle that the group’s revised party programme has been reviewed and found legally acceptable. “Their rules and general programme meet the current legal standards. The supporter cards were the final requirement,” he said.
The Blue-and-Black Movement was initially registered as a political party in June 2022 but was removed from the register in April 2023. The Supreme Administrative Court ruled that the organisation’s revised party platform was incompatible with constitutional rights and democratic principles. Despite this, Finnish law allows removed parties to reapply if they meet registration criteria.
The group has drawn criticism for openly adopting fascist imagery and rhetoric. It borrows its colours and themes from the Lapua Movement, a radical nationalist group active in the early 20th century. The Blue-and-Black Movement has staged public events where members wear black clothing, carry Finnish flags, and display banners such as “May Day is White.”
Its recent return to the public spotlight followed a 1 May rally in Tampere, where around 100 participants marched through the city centre. The event drew counter-protests and a strong police presence.
The Justice Ministry currently monitors political parties in Finland primarily through their financial activity. Jääskeläinen acknowledged that the law provides limited tools for assessing the content of party operations beyond registration, stating that “more detailed oversight is not currently part of our mandate.”
He noted that while the ministry reviews programme changes during registration, continuous scrutiny of party platforms is not built into the current legislation. “The Act on Political Parties has been in place since 1969, and to my knowledge, the ministry has never had to intervene in a party’s activities after registration,” Jääskeläinen said.
The movement’s earlier removal was triggered by changes it made to its platform after initial approval, prompting the court to find that its goals violated the principles of human rights and democracy. Now, with a revised programme and a new registration process completed, the group appears to be making its return.
Critics argue that the movement’s core ideology remains unchanged and warn that its re-entry into formal politics risks normalising extremist views. The Ministry of Justice has indicated that should the group again alter its programme in ways that breach the law, the registration could be reviewed once more.
The development has reignited debate over Finland’s mechanisms for regulating political extremism and the adequacy of current oversight laws.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
