Finnish Reporter Detained for Questioning President Over Israel Arms Deal

October 10, 2025 – Finland/Palestine –

A Finnish journalist was briefly detained after posing a pointed query to President Alexander Stubb during a press moment, asking whether Finland should continue arms purchases from Israel in light of United Nations accusations of genocide.

Video footage shared online shows the journalist, identified by his first name Tuomas, asking: “President Stubb, is it appropriate for Finland to continue arms purchases from Israel, a country that has been accused of genocide by the UN and ICJ?”  The president declined to respond. Soon afterwards, police officials intervened, escorting Tuomas away and warning him he faced jail time and fines for what authorities described as an “unauthorised protest.”

Tuomas insisted he was performing journalistic duties—not staging a demonstration. When police questioned him, he replied simply: “Journalism.”  The reporter was subsequently fined and is now facing formal charges of disobeying police orders, which he has announced he will challenge.

This incident has reignited scrutiny over Finland’s arms agreement with Israel, including a €317 million (approximately $366 million) deal signed in late 2023 for the David’s Sling air defence system. Despite the ongoing conflict in Gaza, Finnish authorities have maintained the contract, citing national security concerns, especially regarding potential threats from Russia.

President Stubb has defended the purchases as part of a “values-based realism” foreign policy stance, arguing that Finland must engage with the world as it is, rather than as one might wish it to be. He has also resisted mounting calls for Finland to recognise a Palestinian state, even as other Nordic nations have moved in that direction.

The detention of a journalist underlines tension between press freedom and state authority in contexts involving sensitive geopolitical issues. Tuomas’s case is poised to attract attention from both media rights advocates and governments observing how Helsinki handles dissent and public accountability in its foreign policy decisions.

References –

https://www.trtworld.com/article/c3534215346e