HELSINKI: A Finnish court has dismissed a lawsuit brought against the state for discrimination over restrictions introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a ruling reviewed by AFP on Monday.
A man sued the Finnish state and a Finnish food company after a cafe refused to serve him in December 2021 because he lacked a Covid-19 certificate to prove he had been vaccinated.
At the time, Finland’s Covid regulations allowed cafes and restaurants to demand vaccine certificates for entry.
When the man was denied breakfast at the Fazer Cafe in central Helsinki, he decided to sue the state for imposing the restrictions, as well as the company that owned the cafe.
He argued the refusal was discriminatory and violated his human rights, and demanded 20,000 euros ($21,800) in compensation.
But the Helsinki District Court on Friday dismissed the lawsuit, ordering the plaintiff to pay 105,000 euros in legal compensation to the Finnish state within a month and 16,460 euros in legal fees to Fazer.
“The plaintiff was aware of the corona passport requirement when he entered the cafe” as there were notes informing customers about the rules outside, the court said in its ruling.
In addition, the man’s lawyer was ordered to contribute to the payments, with the court citing his negligent handling of the case.
Niko Pyrhonen, a researcher focused on alternative media at Helsinki University, told AFP on Monday that the case had received attention among the anti-vaccination movement and critics of Covid-19 restrictions.
“The implementation of the Covid-19 passport only directly touches upon people who have not taken the vaccination,” he said, adding that the case had raised international interest because there was “similar opposition to policies that had been implemented in other countries.”
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Finnish court dismisses lawsuit challenging Covid restaurant rules
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Finnish court dismisses lawsuit challenging Covid restaurant rules
- A man sued the Finnish state and a Finnish food company after a cafe refused to serve him in December 2021
France bans 10 British far-right, anti-migration activists from entering
PARIS: France’s interior ministry said on Wednesday it has banned 10 British far-right activists from entering or staying in the country, after they carried out actions deemed to incite violence and seriously disturb public order on French territory.
The activists, identified as members of a group called “Raise the Colors” that was involved in a national flag-raising campaign, seek to find and destroy boats used to carry migrants and spread propaganda on France’s northern coast calling on the British public to join the movement to stop migration, according to the French interior ministry.
“Our rule of law is non-negotiable, violent or hate-inciting actions have no place on our territory,” French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez wrote on social media platform X on Wednesday.
The ministry said in a statement it had been informed of the group’s activities in December last year and that it had referred the matter to the relevant authorities, as the actions were likely to cause “serious disturbances” to public order.
“Raise the Colors” describes itself as a grassroots movement that began in the central English city of Birmingham, when a small group started tying national flags to lampposts in a show of national pride. It says the effort has since spread across the UK.
The widespread display of the red-and-white St. George’s Cross for England and the Union Jack for Britain has prompted concern among some migrant communities as a reflection of rising anti-immigration sentiment in the country, coinciding with a wave of protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers last year.
Neither the group nor the British Foreign Office immediately responded to Reuters requests for comment.
Immigration and the crossings of small boats carrying migrants from France have become a focal point for British voters and has helped propel Nigel Farage’s right-wing, anti-immigration Reform UK party, into a commanding opinion poll lead.
Farage last year in London met the leader of French far-right National Rally (RN) party, Jordan Bardella, who has accused France of being too soft on immigration.
The activists, identified as members of a group called “Raise the Colors” that was involved in a national flag-raising campaign, seek to find and destroy boats used to carry migrants and spread propaganda on France’s northern coast calling on the British public to join the movement to stop migration, according to the French interior ministry.
“Our rule of law is non-negotiable, violent or hate-inciting actions have no place on our territory,” French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez wrote on social media platform X on Wednesday.
The ministry said in a statement it had been informed of the group’s activities in December last year and that it had referred the matter to the relevant authorities, as the actions were likely to cause “serious disturbances” to public order.
“Raise the Colors” describes itself as a grassroots movement that began in the central English city of Birmingham, when a small group started tying national flags to lampposts in a show of national pride. It says the effort has since spread across the UK.
The widespread display of the red-and-white St. George’s Cross for England and the Union Jack for Britain has prompted concern among some migrant communities as a reflection of rising anti-immigration sentiment in the country, coinciding with a wave of protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers last year.
Neither the group nor the British Foreign Office immediately responded to Reuters requests for comment.
Immigration and the crossings of small boats carrying migrants from France have become a focal point for British voters and has helped propel Nigel Farage’s right-wing, anti-immigration Reform UK party, into a commanding opinion poll lead.
Farage last year in London met the leader of French far-right National Rally (RN) party, Jordan Bardella, who has accused France of being too soft on immigration.
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