The Finnish Broadcasting Corporation said that the demonstration is organized by Rufi, a Finnish-Russian association that presents itself on social media as a friendship club.
At the moment, the convoy is expected to start its journey through the Helsinki metropolitan area from Hyvinkää and end in Vantaa.
As Sunday is typically a slow traffic day, the convoy should not have a significant impact on traffic in the area, according to Juurinen. The protest is expected to last at least a couple of hours, depending on the route.
A counter-demonstration is also scheduled for Sunday.
Juurinen reminded that the right to protest belongs to everyone and it must be respected, even if you disagree about the reason for the protest. He stressed that the police do not block demonstrations regardless of the subject, but only ensure that the demonstration is timely and locally profitable and does not cause unnecessary harm to others.
At Jarno LimlAalto University’s professor of practice and cybersecurity estimates that the convoy will certainly include people whose motive for participation has not been directly influenced by outsiders.
“However, it is clear that if and when Russia wants to intervene in the data, it would look like this, possibly on a larger scale,” he told YLE. “As we come to see more and more information disruptions, there is no need to react to every noise, no matter where.”
While some types of vandalism are possible, the harm caused by demonstrations is usually limited to littering.
“I could say that most ordinary Finns don’t leave an eye on such tricks,” Limnagl said.
Helsingin Sanomat on Thursday wrote that the social media group behind the convoy’s protest said the group has been used to distribute material that demonizes and depicts various violent fantasies against Ukrainians. Members of the group have also shared pictures of dead soldiers burned alive by Ukrainians.
Jessika AroThe journalist and non-fiction writer who studied the information warfare in Russia was the first to cover the convoy organizers in his blog.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
Source: The Nordic Page