Finland's Miss Universe delegate, Sarah Dzafce, has been stripped of her Miss Finland title after a viral photo showing her making the "slanted-eyes" gesture—widely considered disrespectful to East Asians—with the caption "eating with a Chinese." The 22-year-old claimed the photo was a reaction to a headache and the offensive caption was added by a friend without her consent.
The incident has caused significant international backlash, particularly in Japan, South Korea, and China, with calls to boycott Finland and its flag carrier, Finnair.
The Miss Finland Organisation called the move "difficult but necessary," stating the position requires respecting all people and affirming that "Racism is never acceptable."
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo condemned Dzafce's action as "thoughtless and stupid" and later called the subsequent actions of two right-wing MPs, Juho Eerola and Kaisa Garedew—who posted photos mimicking the gesture in support of Dzafce—as "childish." The Finns Party is considering sanctions for the MPs.
Finnair acknowledged the controversy had affected the company and publicly stated that the MPs' actions "do not represent the values of Finnair."
The Finnish embassy in Japan confirmed receiving "numerous opinions" on Finland's struggle with racism, which it acknowledged as an ongoing challenge requiring "continuous and resolute efforts."
Dzafce issued an apology in Finnish, which drew criticism from some online commentators who deemed it insincere and inaccessible to the affected Asian community.
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