A man who tried to hit a veteran politician Timo Soini a plastic bottle imposed a seven-month suspended sentence for the assault attempt and other charges in the Eastern Uusimaa District Court on Tuesday.
The attack took place in March 2019, when Soini, then Foreign Minister of the former Prime Minister Juha SipiläCen’s administration greeted voters at the farmers’ market in the Korso district of the city of Vantaa.
However, security personnel at the scene managed to wrestle the attacker, wearing clothing with the anti-immigrant group’s Soldiers of Od logo, on the ground.
The court convicted the accused of violent opposition by the authorities and assault on security personnel guarding Soini.
The man was also found guilty of driving a moped under the influence of alcohol, the prosecutor said the man had a blood alcohol content of 0.76.
The defendant in the mid-50s denied all charges and said he could not remember any of the events of the incident.
One of the guards testified that he had spotted a large man who resolutely approached the foreign minister through the crowd.
The defendant then stood about a meter from Soini and lifted the plastic bottle in the air and shouted "country traitor" or "traitor to people," the guard told the court.
Soini testified in court "free [guard's name]Speed and quick intervention, he would have found me. Now it hit him."
The setback of the blue reform
Before the attack, Soini left the Finnish Party to establish the Blue Reform Party, a group whose goals were lower income taxes, controlled immigration and defense of Finnish rights in EU politics.
Following the incident, the respondent shared numerous anti-immigration messages on social media, including content from well-known racist individuals as well as messages against the restrictions of the coronavirus.
Earlier this year, Soini announced that he was leaving municipal politics after two decades and would not be running in the upcoming local elections.
On Monday, it was announced that Soini had been expelled from the Blue Reform group in Espoo, his hometown.
According to the local newspaper Länsiväylä, the party’s government said Soini had blocked the group’s activities due to two Movement Now party election advertisements.
Soini described it in his blog post published on Monday "illegal," claiming that he had not been heard or contacted.
Source: The Nordic Page