Finnish MP Päivi Räsänen appeals to European Court of Human Rights after guilty verdict over Bible pamphlet

 Finnish parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen announced Thursday that she is appealing to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) after the Supreme Court of Finland found her guilty of hate speech in March for a 22-year-old pamphlet condemning homosexuality.

"The failure of the Finnish Supreme Court to uphold freedom of speech has set a dangerous precedent in my country and across Europe. I feel it is my duty to appeal this decision, to reinstate respect for the basic human right that all are free to peacefully express their views in the public square," Räsänen said, according to a press release from the nonprofit legal group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International.

Räsänen, who led Finland's Christian Democratic Party from 2004 to 2015 and served as the country's interior minister from 2011 to 2015, was convicted on March 26 in a slim 3-2 ruling against her under Chapter 11 of the Finnish Penal Code, which deals with "agitation against a minority group."

The high court ruled that because Räsänen's pamphlet from 2004 argued that homosexuality is intrinsically disordered, it could be seen to "insult homosexuals as a group on the basis of their sexual orientation."

Räsänen was ordered to pay a fine of €1,800 (about $2,080), and the court ordered the destruction of all physical and digital copies of the pamphlet, which was titled "Male and Female He Created Them: Homosexual relationships challenge the Christian concept of humanity."

Bishop Juhana Pohjola of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, who published the pamphlet with Räsänen more than 20 years ago, was also found guilty because of the decades-old pamphlet.

The pamphlet was initially discovered during a separate police investigation that began in 2019 in response to criminal complaints Räsänen faced for her tweet that year that cited Romans 1:24–27 to rebuke the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland for promoting LGBT pride events.

The grandmother of 12 was consequently dragged into court multiple times over six years and acquitted twice by lower courts. The Finnish Supreme Court acquitted Räsänen on the initial tweet that launched her ordeal, ruling she was not guilty of hate speech because the tweet justified her view by citing a biblical text.

Räsänen's appeal to the ECHR comes as her case has drawn high-profile attention and free speech concerns throughout the world, including from the U.S. State Department.

"I know I am not alone in facing unjust persecution under 'hate speech' laws that make sharing Christian beliefs a criminal offense," Räsänen said. "I make my appeal in the hope that the European Court of Human Rights will recognize that peacefully expressing one's beliefs is never a crime, and ensure that this basic freedom is protected for all."

Räsänen has been using her situation to warn about the encroaching threats to free speech in the Western world under the guise of tolerance. During a recent interview with The Christian Post, she framed her guilty verdict as an example of an attempt by those in power to chill the speech of other Christians who might speak out against sexual immorality.

Finnish MP Päivi Räsänen appeals guilty verdict to ECHR | World

'Religious discrimination': Greg Abbott threatens to pull state funding from Texas city over Islamic event

 Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is threatening to pull over $500,000 in state funding from a Dallas suburb if it moves forward with a private, Muslim-centric event next month that will require a “modest” dress code, including “burkinis” for women.

The third-annual DFW Eid Celebration, set for June 1 at Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark in Grand Prairie, a suburb of Dallas, will require both male and female attendees to adhere to a dress code and other rules, including “respectful behavior such as maintaining personal space and lowering the gaze.”

In addition to providing halal cuisine — food that is allowed under Islamic law — a flyer for the DFW Eid Celebration also promises a private prayer room and a “respectful environment” for attendees to mark the Islamic holiday.

The “What to Wear” section of the event website features suggestions for “stylish water outfit inspiration” with links to several Islamic-style bathing suits — including burkini outfits with full head and leg coverings — on websites like Amazon and Temu.

Texas Gov. threatens to pull funding over waterpark event | U.S.

Trump's week in review: Third assassination attempt, IRA retirement accounts, King Charles' state visit

 This week was marked by high-stakes developments at home and abroad, including a third brazen assassination attempt against President Donald Trump, the end of a partial government shutdown that stretched more than two months, and a new U.S. Department of Justice report detailing alleged anti-Christian bias during the Biden administration. Trump also met with King Charles III of the United Kingdom.

Here are five highlights from this week. 

Trump's week in review: WHCA shooting, King Charles' state visit | Politics

Washington law forcing Christian foster parents to embrace LGBT ideology may be discriminatory: judge

 A federal court in Washington rejected a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a Christian couple who say they were denied an unrestricted foster license by the state because they wouldn't adhere to LGBT ideology.

In an opinion published Wednesday, Judge David G. Estudillo of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington denied a motion by the state to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Jennifer and Shane DeGross over the Washington Department of Children, Youth and Families’ refusal to grant them a full foster care license.

“In essence, the Department has forced the DeGrosses to choose between forefeiting their freedom of speech to obtain an unrestricted license, or upholding their beliefs surrounding [Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression], and receiving a less-favorable license subject to certain requirements,” Estudillo, a Biden appointee, stated. 

The DeGrosses served as foster parents in Washington from 2013 to 2022. But when they sought to renew their license in 2022, they became aware of the state’s requirement that foster parents provide children “with resources that supports and affirms their needs regarding" sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and agree to use trans-identified children’s “pronouns and chosen name, and respect the child’s right to privacy concerning their [gender identity].”

The DeGrosses informed the licensing agency that they could not agree to this provision because of their deeply held religious beliefs about sexuality and gender. They say they lost their license as a result. 

They filed a complaint in 2024, alleging violations of their rights to freedom of religion under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Judge won't toss Christian couple's lawsuit against Washington | Politics

Half of British Public Want Prime Minsiter Starmer to Resign Amid Rolling Mandelson-Epstein Scandal

 https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2026/04/27/half-of-british-public-want-prime-minsiter-starmer-to-resign-amid-rolling-mandelson-scandal/

The clock appears to be ticking on the scandal-ridden government of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, with half of the UK public believing he should resign, as controversy reigns over his decision to appoint Lord Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States.

With just two weeks to go before British voters will head to the polls for local elections across the country, Prime Minsiter Starmer and his left-wing Labour Party continue to struggle with convincing the public of their worth.

According to a UK Political Pulse survey from Ipsos for broadcaster LBC, a survey of 2,262 British adults conducted earlier this month found that 50 per cent of voters think that Starmer should resign, compared to just 36 per cent who think he should remain in office.

The poll also found that 68 per cent of the public believe that Labour will not win the next general election, which is currently is set for 2029, but could be called earlier should the government collapse before then.

The survey found that only a third of voters (36 per cent) think that Labour would stand a better chance at winning the next general election by replacing Starmer at the helm of the party, suggesting a majority thinking the party is doomed no matter who is at the helm.

Indeed, with no member of Starmer’s cabinet having more than five per cent support among 2024 Labour voters or the voting public as a whole.

The clear favourite among Labour voters to take over the party should Starmer resign is Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham at 25 per cent, yet this falls to 17 per cent among all voters.

However, Burnham, a Tony Blair-era Westminster swamp figure who has attempted to rebrand himself as a working-class champion from “The North”, is not eligible to become Prime Minister, with Starmer having blocked the mayor from running in last month’s by-election in Gorton and Denton, meaning that he still does not have a seat in parliament and consequently isn’t eligible to stand for leader

Court requires bank to seize assets from Benny Hinn Ministries after failure to pay marketing company

 For the second time in five years, a court has ordered Benny Hinn Ministries to pay a marketing company for services rendered which the ministry had previously avoided paying. Hinn’s ministry now faces garnishment of assets.

In a case that received almost no attention, during summary judgment Judge John P. Chupp ruled against Benny Hinn’s World Healing Center Church (WHCC) in January, ordering the Grapevine, Texas-based organization to pay PrintMPro, Ltd, better known by the trade name PrintMailPro, “actual damages in the amount of $144,617.52 plus $64.93 per day from November 6, 2025 through date of this Judgment.”

Judge Chupp also required WHCC, which uses the trade name Benny Hinn Ministries, to pay PrintMailPro’s legal fees.

According to the lawsuit filed in September 2025, “PrintMailPro produced a substantial amount of printed materials and provided a substantial amount of mass mail marketing services for Defendant between January and May 2025.”

In February, PrintMailPro submitted an application to Tarrant County’s 141st Judicial District Court requesting a Writ of Garnishment to allow the company to collect the debt from the ministry’s bank, Frost Bank in San Antonio.

In March, PrintMailPro served San Antonio-based Frost Bank a Writ of Garnishment authorizing the bank to seize “$159,615.85, besides interest and costs of suit” to pay the plaintiff.

PrintMailPro also notified WHCC that assets would be seized to pay debts.

On April 9, Trinity Foundation emailed Attorney Paul Hyde, representing PrintMailPro, several questions, including, “Is this a common problem? In your career as an attorney, have you encountered other religious organizations that wouldn’t pay bills and debts had to be collected by garnishment?”

This article will be updated if a response is received. 

The court docket for the PrintMailPro case is viewable at txcourts.gov.

Court requires bank to seize assets from Benny Hinn Ministries | U.S.

SPLC indicted for defrauding donors, allegedly giving $3M to leaders of KKK, other extremist groups

 A grand jury has indicted the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) for allegedly giving $3 million to individuals tied to extremist groups it claims to oppose, including the Ku Klux Klan, as the far-left nonprofit condemns the allegations as the product of a “weaponized” federal government.

In a statement Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that a federal grand jury in Montgomery, Alabama, indicted SPLC on 11 counts, including wire fraud, making false statements to a federally insured bank and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

SPLC, a prominent nonprofit, identifies itself as “a beacon of hope, fighting white supremacy and various forms of injustice to help create a multiracial democracy where we can all live and thrive.”

The indictment alleges that “unbeknownst to donors, some of their donated money was being used to fund the leaders and organizers of racist groups, including the Ku Klux Klan, the Aryan Nation, and the National Alliance.”

The court document, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama on Tuesday, also states that “the SPLC’s paid informants (‘field sources’) engaged in the active promotion of racist groups at the same time the SPLC was denouncing the same groups on its website.”

The indictment outlines $3 million in payments made to informants, including $270,000 to an individual who was part of the “online leadership chat group that planned the 2017 ‘Unite the Right’ event in Charlottesville, Virginia, and attended the event at the direction of the SPLC.” The informant allegedly “made racist postings under the SPLC and helped coordinate transportation to the event for several attendees.”

Additional payments cited in the indictment include $1 million to an informant affiliated with the neo-Nazi organization National Alliance, more than $300,000 to an officer in the Aryan Nations-affiliated Sadistic Souls Motorcycle Club, $140,000 to a former chairman of the National Alliance and $70,000 to a former leader of the National Socialist Party.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama Northern Division filed two forfeiture actions in hopes of recovering "alleged proceeds of the organization’s fraud scheme."

SPLC indicted, accused of giving $3M to extremist organizers | Politics