'It is unacceptable that people granted asylum here have brought evil': Finnish President expresses his 'disgust' at migrant grooming gangs as country's child sex scandal escalates
- President Niinistö expressed 'shock and disgust' at new child sex allegations
- He said it is 'unacceptable that asylum seekers have brought evil here'
- Some 16 men suspected of being part of 'child grooming gang' in Oulu
- The victims of rape and sex abuse have all been aged between ten and 15
- Three foreign-born men in Helsinki suspected of child sex abuse and rape
The President of Finland has expressed his 'shock and disgust' after police identified more suspects in connection with a foreign Grooming gang targeting children in a town in the north of the country.
Police suspect 16 foreign-born men of rape or other sexual abuses of girls aged between ten and 15 in Oulu, northern Finland, adding another four men to the investigation today.
In addition, police in the capital Helsinki said on Sunday they had arrested three foreign-born men on similar charges.
Finland's President Sauli Niinistö, pictured inspecting an honor guard during his state visit to China today, expressed his 'shock and disgust' after police identified more suspects in connection with a foreign grooming gang who have targeted underaged girls in Oulu
In a statement released on Monday, President Sauli Niinistö said the crimes in Oulu 'shocked us with their inhumanity'.
He added: 'The right to integrity is one of the values on which our society is based, and one which must be respected by everyone here.
'It is unacceptable that some asylum seekers, and even those who have been granted asylum, have brought evil here and created insecurity.'
Antti Kaikkonen, parliamentary head of the coalition-leading Centre Party, called for a meeting of all the parliamentary party heads, tweeting: 'Everyone who comes to Finland has to follow the local laws.'
Antti Lindtman, parliamentary head of the main opposition party, the Social Democrats, said: 'The question is, are there measures we could take now - even during this term - to prevent cowardly crimes like these? Yes, there are.'
Never forget: Candles burn outside a shopping centre, in memory of sex crimes committed against minors, in Oulu, Finland, today
A citizens petition to withdraw asylum from people convicted of sex crimes received 62,000 signatures over the weekend, breaking the 50,000 barrier needed to force parliament to consider the issue.
'I created the initiative because of the hate speech... I thought someone has to do something,' Saila Al-Jewari, who launched it in December after the first abuse cases in Oulu made headlines, told Reuters.
'I am not racist, I am married to an Iraqi man. However, at the moment this media-fed hate incitement has led to even me, a native Finn, becoming a target of racist shouting and insulting.'
Al-Jewari acknowledged her proposal could well be stopped by human rights issues but said it was worth trying if even one new sex crime could be prevented.
Allegations: Police suspect 16 foreign-born men of rape or other sexual abuses of adolescent girls aged between ten and 15 in Oulu, northern Finland
'It really angers me that the politicians are riding this topic ahead of the elections. Does anyone of them think of victims? No. They only think of themselves. Why didn't they do something about the topic years ago?,' Al-Jewari said.
Statistics Finland says around 1,200 cases of sexual abuse of minors are reported to the police each year, and that foreigners were involved in 18 percent of the cases that came to trial last year.
Of Finland's population of just over 5.5million, some 321,500 people are born in a foreign country, nearly six per cent.
Compared to neighbouring Sweden, Finland had a low intake of migrants and refugees during the recent European migrant crisis.
Last year, 31,797 persons moved to Finland, down from 34,905 in 2016 and 28 746 in 2015.
Most watched News videos
- Pro-Palestine protester shouts 'we don't like white people' at UCLA
- Horror as sword-wielding man goes on rampage in east London
- King and Queen depart University College Hospital
- Terrifying moment Turkish knifeman attacks Israeli soldiers
- King and Queen meet cancer patients on chemotherapy ward
- Vunipola laughs off taser as police try to eject him from club
- Jewish man is threatened by a group of four men in north London
- King Charles in good spirits as he visits cancer hospital in London
- Moment van crashes into passerby before sword rampage in Hainault
- Police cordon off area after sword-wielding suspect attacks commuters
- Shocked eyewitness describes moment Hainault attacker stabbed victim
- Two heart-stopping stormchaser near-misses during tornado chaos
