Far-right Finnish minister resigns after 10 days over Nazi comments

Finland’s economy minister has resigned after only 10 days in office over earlier statements he had made linked to Nazis.

“For the continuation of the government and the reputation of Finland, I see that it is impossible for me to continue as a minister in a satisfactory way,” Vilhelm Junnila said in a statement, The Guardian reports.

Junnila is a member of the far-right Finns, part of a rightwing coalition that took office on 20 June after an election in April.

He survived a no-confidence vote against him in parliament on Wednesday called by the opposition, which accused him of repeatedly making Nazi references.

During his election campaign, the public broadcaster YLE said Junnila congratulated his fellow party member on his candidate number, 88. This is a familiar neo-Nazi symbol used in place of the “Heil Hitler” salute referencing the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. The Anti-Defamation League calls it “one of the most common white supremacist symbols”.

“First of all, congratulations for the excellent candidate number. I know it’s a winning card. Obviously, this ’88’ refers to two H letters which we won’t say more about,” Junnila said in his address at a campaign event on 10 March, according to YLE.

Junnila has apologised for his choice of words, saying it was a distasteful joke.