Finnish MP Persecuted for Biblical Beliefs Submits Testimony Before Canadian Senate on the Danger of C-9 ‘Hate Speech’ Bill

In this Harbinger’s Daily article, Finnish parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen warns Canadian lawmakers that vague “hate speech” laws can turn peaceful Christian speech into a criminal matter.

• Räsänen submitted testimony to the Canadian Senate Human Rights Committee regarding Bill C-9, a proposal dealing with “hate speech.”
• The article says Bill C-9 would weaken existing protections for religious speech in Canada’s criminal code.
• One major concern is that the bill would remove a provision protecting religious statements made in “good faith.”
• Räsänen warned that such laws allow the state to decide which beliefs may be publicly expressed.
• Her warning comes from personal experience after nearly seven years of prosecution in Finland over her Christian beliefs on marriage and sexuality.
• Räsänen was investigated after a 2019 social media post, a radio debate, and a 2004 church booklet.
• Although she was acquitted by lower courts in 2022 and 2023, Finland’s Supreme Court later upheld a narrow conviction related to the booklet.
• She argued that even when people are ultimately acquitted, the process itself becomes a punishment through years of scrutiny, legal pressure, and uncertainty.
• The broader concern is that “hate speech” laws create a chilling effect, discouraging Christians and others with dissenting beliefs from speaking openly.
• Räsänen said she looks forward to the day when free speech is protected for everyone who peacefully expresses their convictions.

Read the full story: https://harbingersdaily.com/finnish-mp-persecuted-for-biblical-beliefs-submits-testimony-before-canadian-senate-on-the-danger-of-c-9-hate-speech-bill/