A U.K. travel ban is preventing a Finnish lawmaker and a Lutheran bishop — both convicted in Finland on hate-speech charges over a pamphlet that quotes the Bible — from entering the country, according to the legal group representing them. The revocation of Päivi Räsänen’s Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) came roughly a week after it was initially granted, and her lawyers say it appears tied to her recent conviction.
“The U.K. authorities initially granted the ETA to Päivi Räsänen and then approximately one week later they withdrew the ETA,” Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) Senior Legal Counsel Lorcan Price told The Federalist. “This is undoubtedly connected to her conviction for hate speech in a split decision before the Finnish Supreme Court.”
Räsänen, a member of Finland’s parliament, was scheduled to speak in person this week before the Northern Ireland Assembly on religious liberty. Instead, she has been forced to consider addressing the body via livestream unless U.K. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood intervenes, ADF said.
Conviction Over a Booklet
Räsänen and Bishop Juhana Pohjola of the Lutheran Church in Finland were convicted in March of “hate speech” for publishing a booklet titled “Male and Female He Created Them,” a direct quotation from the Bible’s Book of Genesis. The pamphlet discusses the Bible’s teaching on male and female differences. Both have appealed to the European Court of Human Rights.
Finland’s hate-speech law falls under the criminal code’s section on “crimes against humanity,” ADF noted. The convictions carry fines and a ban on printing or distributing the booklet in Finland; the statute also permits jail time.
“I was convicted of ‘hate speech’ in Finland for peacefully expressing my Christian views. This was an egregious case of state censorship, noted with concern by observers around the world, including the US State Department and the US Religious Liberty Commission,” Räsänen said in a statement Wednesday. “Even though this unjust conviction is currently on appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, the UK has likely refused me travel authorisation on this basis. In doing so, the UK is punishing me for exercising my fundamental human rights.”
Approval Granted, Then Revoked
According to ADF, Räsänen received approval from the U.K. Home Office on June 17 to enter the country. That permission was canceled on July 3. A government communication provided to The Federalist reads: “The information you provided in your ETA suggests that you are not eligible for an ETA and it has been canceled.”
ADF said Räsänen then applied for a full visa and received no response. She also privately petitioned Mahmood to reinstate her entry approval — again with no response, according to the legal group. On Aug. 18, Räsänen and ADF publicly appealed to Mahmood to allow her to speak at the Northern Ireland Assembly in person as originally scheduled.
The canceled authorization also disrupted a layover at London’s Heathrow Airport in July for Räsänen and Pohjola as they traveled back to Finland, ADF said. The U.K. Home Office press team did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Broader Context
The case comes amid what critics describe as a broader pattern of European restrictions on speech and religious expression. The Federalist’s report notes that the U.K. in recent years has jailed individuals for silently praying near abortion clinics, flying the British flag, and opposing certain immigration policies. The piece also cites what it describes as a long-running failure by U.K. authorities to prosecute mass rape gangs, many of whose members were of Pakistani origin.
Räsänen’s case has drawn international attention, including from the U.S. State Department. Her seven-year legal battle over publicly affirming mainstream Christian teachings on sex and marriage has led her to speak internationally in defense of free speech for people of all beliefs, ADF said.
ADF is assisting both Räsänen and Pohjola with their legal cases.
Source: thefederalist.com — https://thefederalist.com/2026/08/19/u-k-bans-bishop-lawmaker-convicted-of-hate-speech-for-agreeing-with-the-bible/