A Finnish member of the European Parliament has become the focus of a growing dispute in Brussels after comments made on social media prompted allegations of racism and triggered calls for disciplinary action.
The controversy centres on Sebastian Tynkkynen, a Finns Party MEP who is facing complaints lodged with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola following an exchange involving Swedish MEP Abir Al-Sahlani.
Yle first reported the case.
The dispute emerged after a vote in the European Parliament on new measures aimed at speeding up the return of migrants whose asylum applications have been rejected. Following the vote, videos circulated on social media showing right-wing lawmakers chanting “send them back” inside the Parliament chamber.
The vote and the reaction that followed led to criticism from several lawmakers, including Al-Sahlani, a Swedish member of the liberal Renew Europe group who was born in Iraq.
In a video posted online after the vote, Al-Sahlani said she had “never felt so unsafe in this Parliament”.
Her remarks triggered responses from members of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, which includes both Tynkkynen and Danish MEP Kristoffer Storm.
Storm commented online that Al-Sahlani “should go home”.
Tynkkynen later shared a clip of Al-Sahlani’s statement on Instagram and added the words “cry more”.
The responses have now become the subject of formal complaints and political pressure within the Parliament.
Valérie Hayer, president of the Renew Europe group, wrote to Metsola urging her to investigate the conduct of both MEPs and consider disciplinary measures. Hayer argued that some of the comments were racist in nature and violated the Parliament’s code of conduct.
In her letter, Hayer warned that failure to address the issue could create a sense of impunity within the institution.
Al-Sahlani has also filed a complaint with Metsola, according to Politico. Her office argued that hate speech between elected members runs contrary to the standards expected inside the European Parliament.
Speaking to Politico, Al-Sahlani rejected suggestions that Storm’s comments were unrelated to her background.
“I am home,” she said, noting that she had built her life in Sweden, become a citizen and been elected to the European Parliament.
The complaints place Metsola in the position of deciding whether the conduct warrants sanctions.
Under Parliament rules, disciplinary measures can range from formal reprimands to temporary restrictions on parliamentary activities, allowances or representation duties.
Tynkkynen has rejected allegations against him.
After Hayer’s intervention became public, he responded on social media platform X, accusing critics of making false claims and warning that legal action would follow.
He wrote that accusations suggesting he had threatened a fellow parliamentarian were incorrect.
Storm has also denied wrongdoing.
The Danish MEP said his remark was not connected to Al-Sahlani’s ethnic background or country of birth. He argued that the phrase was intended to suggest that she should leave the chamber if she found the atmosphere distressing.
Al-Sahlani dismissed that explanation and said the meaning of the remark remained clear regardless of how it was later framed.
The dispute has drawn renewed attention to Tynkkynen’s record of political controversies in Finland.
The Finns Party politician has previously faced court proceedings related to ethnic agitation. Finnish courts convicted him in cases dating from 2016, 2019 and 2023.
He also attracted criticism in 2024 when he was among several Finns Party politicians who posted photographs of themselves making eye-stretching gestures on social media. The posts appeared during a public debate surrounding a former Miss Finland titleholder who lost her crown after footage emerged showing a similar gesture.
HT