Kohti Vapautta! (
) is a
Finnish neo-Nazi
Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...
organization.
It was founded in 2019, and was named after traditional
Independence Day
An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...
rallies. According to the Finnish government, the group is the Finnish branch of the
Nordic Resistance Movement
The Nordic Resistance Movement is a pan-Nordic neo-Nazi movement in the Nordic countries and a political party in Sweden. Besides Sweden, it is established in Norway, Denmark and Iceland, and formerly in Finland before it was banned in 2019. ...
, which has been banned by the Pirkanmaa District Court.
Formation and structure
In 2016, the Nordic Resistance Movement organized a neo-Nazi march in the Finnish capital
Helsinki
Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
. Before the next independence day, the Nordic Resistance Movement's Finnish branch was banned by the Pirkanmaa District Court. Organizers of an event described the 2017 march as being organized by independent National Socialists that all National Socialist movements were invited to. In 2018, the
Finnish Police
The Police of Finland (, ) is a national government agency responsible for general police and law enforcement matters in the Republic of Finland. The Police of Finland is subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior and consists of the National ...
intercepted the march and arrested leader of the banned Finnish branch of the Nordic Resistance Movement and three flag bearers, who were carrying
Nazi flag
The flag of Nazi Germany, officially called the Reich and National Flag (), and also known as the Nazi flag or swastika flag ( – ) featured a red background with a black swastika on a white disk. This flag came into use initially as the banner ...
s.
In Spring 2019, the organizers of the march announced the formation of the Kohti Vapautta! group.
The group was formed in anticipation of the ban on the previous group, although the new group was for a time itself expected to be banned.
The
National Bureau of Investigation suspects the Nordic Resistance Movement to be continuing its operations under the names Kohti Vapautta! and Suomalaisapu.
On November 9, 2019, on the anniversary of the
Kristallnacht
( ) or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from the Hitler Youth and German civilia ...
pogrom, Kohti Vapautta! organized a rally and waved swastika flags in
Helsinki
Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
. Later that same day, neo-Nazis vandalized Helsinki synagogue and Israeli embassy by tagging them with
yellow stars bearing the word "Jew".
See also
*
List of neo-Nazi organizations
The following is a list of organizations, both active and defunct, whose ideological beliefs are categorized as neo-Nazism. This includes political parties, terrorist cells/networks, radical paramilitary groups, criminal gangs, social clubs, or ...
*
Tursaansydän
The or (), also called (), is an ancient symbol used in Northern Europe. The symbol originates from prehistoric times.
The was believed to bring good luck and protect from curses, and was used as a decorative motif on wooden furniture and buil ...
, a symbol incorporated into the Kohti Vapautta! flag
References
External links
{{Finnish far right
2019 establishments in Finland
Neo-Nazism in Finland
Organizations that oppose LGBTQ rights in Europe
Vigilantes
Neo-Nazi organizations