Finnish Christian Democrat MP Päivi Räsänen, whose prosecution over Bible-based views on homosexuality has become a prominent European free speech case, says the UK has revoked her permission to transit through London’s Heathrow Airport following her conviction for “hate speech” in Finland.
Räsänen said she had planned to fly home from the United States via London after attending a conference in California.
Although her Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) was initially approved, British authorities withdrew it shortly before her departure, forcing her to reroute her journey through Dallas instead.
The veteran MP said she was given no explanation for the reversal despite contacting the British Embassy in Helsinki.
“I have travelled to Britain many times over the years and have even spoken in the UK Parliament on freedom of speech,” Räsänen told Finnish media.
She said she believed the decision was linked to her criminal conviction in Finland, noting that her husband, who applied for an ETA at the same time, received approval.
The decision also casts uncertainty over a planned visit to Northern Ireland next month, where Räsänen is due to address a conference and meet politicians.
The UK introduced the Electronic Travel Authorisation system for visa-exempt travellers in 2025. Under the scheme, applications may be refused on criminality grounds, although the Home Office has not publicly commented on Räsänen’s case.
Many nationalists and right-wing activists have already been banned from the UK under the system.
In March, Finland’s Supreme Court, by a narrow 3-2 majority, convicted the former interior minister of incitement against a minority group over a 2004 church pamphlet defending the traditional Christian understanding of marriage.
At the same time, the court acquitted her over a 2019 social media post quoting the Bible and criticising her church’s sponsorship of Helsinki Pride.
The ruling partially overturned two unanimous acquittals handed down by lower courts and ended nearly seven years of criminal proceedings.
Räsänen has consistently maintained that her statements reflected mainstream Christian teaching and that the case threatens freedom of religion and expression.
She has announced plans to challenge the conviction before the European Court of Human Rights.
Commenting on the travel restrictions, Räsänen said the consequences of the judgment were extending beyond freedom of speech.
“The Supreme Court’s closely divided ruling has had unexpected consequences. In addition to restricting freedom of expression, it has also created restrictions and difficulties related to travel and participation in meetings and conferences,” she said.
The UK Home Office has not publicly explained why Räsänen’s ETA was withdrawn or whether the decision was directly linked to her Finnish conviction as it doesn’t comment on individual cases.
Britain can’t stop illegal migrants crossing the Channel, but it can stop Päivi Räsänen, a Christian grandmother and former Finnish Interior Minister, from changing planes at Heathrow.
Christian views on marriage now make you a security threat.
This country has lost its mind. pic.twitter.com/CXW3iu1sW1
— Caroline Farrow (@CF_Farrow) July 15, 2026
