Moscow demands Finland to arrest the burned Russian flag in Helsinki
Moscow has demanded that the Finnish authorities identify and arrest the culprits who burned the Russian flag in Helsinki on Finland’s Independence Day.
In a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry on Saturday, December 10, the burning of the Russian flag in Helsinki last December 6 was condemned. The incident happened Finland celebrated independence day. Such “extreme tricks” should be stopped in the future, Russia insisted.
“In this matter, diplomatic contact was initiated against the Finnish side Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russiaduring which it was stated that such acts are considered unprecedented in Moscow, an unacceptable desecration of the state symbol of our country,” the message Website read from the diplomatic department.
Moscow appealed to Helsinki, demanding that the perpetrators be brought to justice and “take action to prevent such extreme tricks from happening in the future”.
In accordance with Article 239 According to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, desecration of the state emblem or the state flag can be sentenced to a maximum of one year in prison. It can also result in concurrent forced labor or a shorter prison sentence, from three to six months. Finnish law only stipulates desecration of the Finnish flag.
The Independence Day celebrations traditionally start with an official flag-raising ceremony on Tahtorinmäki in the center of Helsinki. It is followed by military parades in the afternoon and in the late afternoon various social movements hold a traditional torchlight procession. The pillar will move from Hietaniemi cemetery to Senatintor.
According to the TV and radio company Over, protesters burned the Russian flag right in front of the cemetery gates. The police officers on duty there noticed the incident and told the activists to stop, but did not arrest anyone.
Officials in the capital said the festivities generally went off “without major disruption.” According to preliminary estimates, several thousand people participated in the December 6 protests gazeta.ru.
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