Helsinki police admit failure to assess Elokapina security threat Yle news
Helsinki police have admitted that they have not correctly assessed the security threat posed by the Elokapina climate men at the government palace on Friday and that there were errors in the event communications.
Deputy Commissioner of the Helsinki Police, Heikki Kopperoinen, told Yle on Sunday that the police ‘s view of the situation differed from that of the Government Emergency Preparedness Unit on Friday afternoon.
“The police officers working outside made their own observations and the people inside the palace made their own. Misunderstandings must have arisen when information is exchanged or the situation is assessed differently,” Kopperoinen said. He said police now have a clearer picture of the security situation.
“Everything inside the palace was peaceful, and there was no concrete threat,” Kopperoinen admitted.
Police arrested 52 people during the protest.
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The announcement came after the top officials denied the police account events protest.
The members of the extinct Finnish uprising, Elokapina, held a session outside the Helsinki Senate Square building. They asked for an opportunity to discuss the climate crisis with the Minister of Finance Annika Saarikko (Cen).
The NGO has been holding ongoing demonstrations since early October.
On Saturday night, police issued a statement saying security had deteriorated to such an extent that the president, ministers and other officials were urged to leave the building along alternative routes.
However, the president Sauli Niinistö, Minister of Education Li Andersson (Left) and Saarikko staff quickly denied the report, saying they had left the building normally after the Government meeting.
According to Niinistö’s office, his regular meeting with the Committee of Ministers for Foreign and Security Policy (Utvan) was held in a different place than usual, as a result of which the exit route was different.
According to Yle sources, the place had already been decided before the start of Friday’s demonstration, which had not been announced in advance.
Allegations “likely to be inaccurate and inappropriate”
Kopperoinen accused the contradictory communication of misunderstandings.
“I don’t feel that anyone is lying or deliberately giving false information. Rather, it was about the flow of information and careless statements. The information was probably inaccurate and inappropriate,” he said.
The statements of the Helsinki police differed from those of the Palace Government Situation Center.
The contingency unit told Yle during the demonstration on Friday that it did not consider the situation threatening or dangerous.