A group of pro-Palestine demonstrators staged a brief protest during President Alexander Stubb's speech at Tampere University's campus on Wednesday.
A few students stood up from their seats and delivered a message in English, voicing their opposition to Israel's war in Gaza.
The entire event, including Stubb's speech, was conducted in English as part of the president's scheduled visit to Tampere. His address included topics such as geopolitics and shifts in the global order.
Stubb had barely started speaking when he was interrupted by the group. Finnish media reported that Stubb remained composed and listened to the protesters, before they exited the hall peacefully while continuing to chant pro-Palestinian slogans.
Unlike a number of other countries which have recently recognised Palestine's statehood, Finland has yet to do so.
During a state visit to Estonia in May, Stubb said that Finland would recognise Palestine as a state at some point in the future. In an interview on Yle's Radio Suomi last week, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) said that the time was not yet right for Finland to make such a move.
Protestors in spring
In May, a group of students at the University of Tampere staged a pro-Palestine protest, demanding the university cut its academic ties with Israeli universities.
The university called the police because the students had entered staff areas without permission. The protest ended after police officers cleared the building's corridors and escorted the demonstrators away.
The students expressed disappointment at the university's management for not responding to their demands.
Earlier in the spring, a pro-Palestine student group camped in front of the university's main building.
President meets Tampere mayor
On Wednesday, Stubb also met with Tampere's Mayor Kalervo Kummola (NCP) and with Tampere city officials as well as representatives from local defence industry companies at a lunch hosted by the mayor.
Stubb will also be visiting the Adult Education Centre of the Tampere Region in Sampola, where he will take part in a panel discussion on culture as a societal resource, moderated by Tampere’s cultural director, Sampo Terho.
The visit will conclude with a stop at the technology company Insta Group, a long-standing strategic partner of the Finnish Defense Forces.
