Second Finnish Politician Barred from Entering UK

Finnish Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Sebastian Tynkkynen announced on Wednesday that he had been barred from entering the United Kingdom. Tynkkynen is the second Finnish politician, after MP and former interior minister Päivi Räsänen, to be denied entry by British authorities in recent months.

The MEP said that just a few hours before his flight, he received a message stating that his presence in the country “would not be in the public interest”. In a post on social media platform X, he expressed outrage over the decision, calling it unbelievable, and described himself as an elected politician and an advocate for girls and women.

The move follows the recent denial of entry to Räsänen, whose electronic travel authorization was rejected because of a previous conviction for incitement against a group of people.

Räsänen, whose electronic travel authorization had initially been approved, learned of the ban just a few days before her scheduled departure.

The cases follow other strict measures taken by British authorities. In April, for example, the British government barred controversial American rapper Kanye West from entering the country following a dispute over his planned performance at a music festival.

(max)