Thousands march in anti-racism protests in Finland

Finland: Thousands of people, including the Finnish premier and a former Finish president, on Saturday took part in demonstrations against racism and violence under the banner "Enough is enough" across several cities in Finland.

According to Finnish broadcaster YLE, it reported that the protest were staged in response to the fatal assault on a 28-year-old man in the capital of Helsinki earlier this month while he had been protesting against a neo-Nazi group.

The man later died on September 16 of his injuries, almost a week after he was involved in a clash with members of the Finnish Resistance Movement.

According to reports, the man was kicked and hit his head on the ground after reportedly spitting in front of members of the neo-Nazi group.

Police said it has remanded a 26-year-old man on Wednesday, who it said was an active member of the neo-Nazi group, on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter.

Leading politicians, including Prime Minister Juha Sipila, condemned the incident.
There have been calls from all quarters to ban racist and extremist organizations in the country.

Police in Helsinki said at least around 15,000 people participated in Saturday's march to Senate Square.

The rally ended with brief speeches by former president Tarja Halonen, among others, music and a minute's silence for the 28-year-old victim.

Helsinki police said it arrested two anti-immigration protesters at two other locations in Helsinki.

YLE reported that Sipila said the government was soon to announce new measures concerning extremist groups.

Anti-racist events were also staged in other cities including Tampere, Joensuu and Jyvaskyla without incidents.