Finland demonstrates in favor of opening a checkpoint on the border with Russia

The Alexander Society, an organization of Russian-speaking residents of Finland, has held rallies in several cities of the country in favor of opening checkpoints on the border between the Scandinavian state and Russia. Images from the action on Sunday, December 15, published "Izvestia".

The video shows demonstrators walking down the street with megaphones and banners, chanting slogans. The banners read, for example, "Open the border", "Freedom of movement", "Found a solution for goods - find a solution for people". Rallies were held in the cities of Lahti, Tampere, Laapenranta and the capital Helsinki. "This is not the first time the Alexander Society has held such protests, and the actions on Sunday were dedicated to the fact that a year has passed since the borders were closed.

It is important that all checkpoints for passengers are closed, but cargo traffic between Russia and Finland continues. Journalist Artem Pucheglazov said that one of the major parts of the two countries' trade turnover is ore, fertilizers, chemicals and similar products. In their demonstration that day, the "Alexander Society" brought the idea that people are more important than fertilizers.

"I was born in St. Petersburg, I have four generations of my ancestors lying in the Serafimovsky cemetery. <...> I entered Finland, a neutral country. Now I think there is nothing left of this neutrality at all. Politicians, at least Finnish politicians, are all very much against the Russian Federation," said Anna, a participant in the march.

She noted that Finnish officials are also against the Russian people. Anna noted that people demand protection of their rights and she would like the action of the "Alexander Society" to be seen not so much in Russia as in Finland, namely by the government and parliament.

The residents of the republic appealed to the Finnish Ministry of Internal Affairs, the European Commission and the European Parliament, but it did not help.

Earlier, on November 30, a demonstration demanding the opening of the border with Russia was held by the organization "Free Movement" and a number of local non-governmental organizations (NGOs). In their opinion, the closed border puts people seeking asylum at risk, and Finnish politicians' words that open checkpoints threaten the country's security, criminalize refugees and increase racism.

The Russian-speaking "Alexander Society" announced its rallies for the opening of the border with Russia on November 29. The organization pointed out that the authorities of the Scandinavian country are not trying to fix the "humanitarian disaster." At the same time, the chairman of the Commission on Foreign Affairs of the Parliament of Finland Kimmo Kiljunen decided to resign because of his words about opening the border with the Russian Federation. The official spoke on this topic at a meeting with representatives of the "Alexander Society", and Kiljunen's colleagues criticized him.

Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen recalled on November 13 that the country closed checkpoints on the border with Russia allegedly after the emergence of the threat of a migration crisis. The newspaper Ilta-Sanomat on November 5 reported that the Finnish authorities may open one checkpoint in the winter as an experiment.

In November 2023, Finland closed all checkpoints on the border with Russia under the pretext of the influx of migrants from third countries. At the time, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow was ready to work with Helsinki to resolve the situation.