A photo of Miss Finland sparks racist accusations and furor across Asia

HELSINKI, Finland — Finland's government is facing heavy pressure and accusations of racism from several Asian countries after its representative to the 2025 Miss Universe pageant was seen pulling the corners of her eyes in a photo -- and some Finnish politicians posted their own photos repeating the gesture.

Sarah Dzafce lost her Miss Finland crown last week after a photo of Dzafce pulling the skin at the corners of her eyes posted on social media went viral late last month. The photo, and its caption reading ''eating with a Chinese,'' was decried by governments and commentators across Finland and Asia as discrimination against Asians.

Dzafce, who won Miss Finland in September, has told Finnish media that she was trying to alleviate a headache. The Helsinki Times reported that she said a friend had shared the private image and wrote the caption without her input. Dzafce did not respond to The Associated Press's request for comment Thursday.

Dzafce posted an apology to social media on Dec. 8 and said it was never her intention to hurt anyone.

''The Miss Finland title is not just a crown for me, but also a responsibility. A responsibility for how I speak, how I act, and how my actions can affect people,'' she wrote in Finnish.

She added: ''I take responsibility for my actions and will learn from this.''

Days later, the Miss Finland Organization revoked her status as Miss Finland 2025 — known as Miss Suomi in Finnish.

The controversy snowballed when several far-right Finnish politicians rallied around Dzafce after she lost her crown. Members of the parliament who are part of the ruling coalition posted their own photos of them pulling the skin around their eyes.

The furor has spread throughout Asia, prompting Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo to issue an apology to several countries, including Japan and South Korea, through statements in their languages posted to Finnish embassy social media accounts.

''These posts do not reflect Finland's values of equality and inclusion,'' Orpo's statement said. "Racism and discrimination have no place in Finnish society. Our message in Finland and to all our friends abroad is that the Government takes racism seriously and is committed to combat the issue. Finland always aims to do better. Politicians have a responsibility to serve as examples in this respect.''

Japan's government has reached out to the Finnish embassy in Tokyo expressing its concerns.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, the government's top spokesperson, said Japan hopes to maintain close communication with Helsinki.

Finland is a major tourist destination for visitors from Asia, and some users on social platform X have called for a boycott of travel to Finland and of Finnair, the country's largest airline.