Sebastian Tynkkynen wrote “cry more” in an Instagram post in response to an Iraqi-born MEP saying she had never felt so unsafe in the European Parliament.
Finnish MEP Sebastian Tynkkynen (Finns) has been accused of racist behaviour in a complaint made to the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.
Valerie Hayer, leader of the Renew Europe group in the European Parliament, filed the complaint in relation to alleged racist comments and online harassment by Tynkkynen and by Kristoffer Storm, a Danish MEP.
Both Tynkkynen and Storm are part of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group.
The complaint derives from their reactions to a vote in the European Parliament last week, when a motion on the establishment of so-called ‘return hubs’ for failed asylum applicants was passed. Videos posted on social media showed MEPs who had supported the motion chanting “send them back” after the EU legislature approved the proposal.
Tensions continued on social media, when Storm commented on a video posted by Iraq-born Swedish MEP Abir Al-Sahlani, in which she said she had “never felt so unsafe in this Parliament”.
Storm commented that “Abir Al-Sahlani should go home”.
In his own Instagram post, Tynkkynen quoted Al-Sahlani’s statement and added the line “cry more”.
In a letter to Metsola, Hayer demanded Tynkkynen and Storm to be subjected to disciplinary action and also hinted that the Renew group could take legal action if the matter is not addressed.
“Telling an elected Swedish member of the European Parliament to ‘go home’ because one disagrees with her views is in itself remarkable,” Hayer said.
Tynkkynen responded by threatening to take legal action himself.
“Your false claim that I threatened my colleague will lead to legal action,” Tynkkynen wrote on X.
Prior convictions
Tynkkynen is no stranger to political controversy, particularly in relation to alleged racist behaviour.
Last year, he was one of a number of Finns Party politicians who posted photos of themselves on social media stretching their eyes.
The posts came in the aftermath of Sarah Dzafce being stripped of her Miss Finland title after a video emerged of her making an eye-stretching gesture alongside a text referring to a Chinese person.
He has also been convicted three times by a Finnish court of ethnic agitation, in 2023, 2019 and 2017.
