Finland's top prosecutor has said she will appeal a decision by a court that ruled against her hate speech allegation against a politician for posting anti-gay Bible verses on Twitter. The Prosecutor General argued that Paivi Räsänen, a member of
parliament, broke Finland's hate speech laws by using Christian theology in a public debate on radio and in tweets. In a tweet to the leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, Räsänen posted a passage from Romans (1:24-27) saying:
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust
for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
Räsänen was accused of criticizing Finland's state church hosting an LGBT event and writing a booklet titled Male and Female He Created Them.
After the prosecutor announced she would appeal the ruling, Räsänen said: The prosecutor's decision to appeal the acquittal verdict may lead to the case going all the way to the Supreme Court, giving the
possibility of securing precedent protecting freedom of speech and religion for all Finnish people. Also I am happy that this decision will lead to the discussion of the teaching of the Bible continuing in Finnish society. I am ready to defend freedom of
speech and religion in all necessary courts, and as far as the European Court of Human rights.
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