Mikko Kärnä, from Lapland, member of the Finnish Parliament, has been the protagonist of a recent scandal in the Finnish press.
The matter was first uncovered two weeks ago by the magazine Seiska and later published by the national broadcasting company (Yle) and the main news outlets of the country.
The story, as it has been told by the Finnish media, began in 2014 when Kärnä met a woman at a bar with whom he held subsequent meetings in hotels. After that, during the next two years, they were sending each other messages.
According to Seiska, the MP asked the woman to send him photos of herself. The woman refused to do so, but the politician did it. And among those intimate selfies he sent there were images of his penis.
"I can say that I have in my life at different stages and in different proportions also made mistakes. So most of us certainly do. Nothing criminal or illegal," he wrote in Twitter.
Pidän yksityiselämäni politiikasta erillään. Tämä päätös on tehty lasteni suojaamiseksi. Toivon median kunnioittavan sitä niin pitkälle kuin mahdollista. Olen elämäni eri vaiheissa ja eri suhteissa tehnyt myös virheitä. Niin varmasti suurin osa meistä. Mitään rikollista taas en.
— Mikko Kärnä (@KarnaMikko) February 20, 2020
"Because of politics"
According to Yle, Kärnä also said the issue belongs to his private life and if it has come to the public domain in Finland is "because of politics."
The president of his party (Keskusta, the Center Party) and also Minister of Economic Affairs, Katri Kulmuni, described his behavior as "inappropriate." She also said what he did is wrong and a mistake.
However, his party colleagues also highlighted that the matter is related to his private life and not to his parliamentary work.
In his political work, Mikko Kärnä has gained international fame for his defence of the independence of Catalonia and Scotland.
In his Twitter account, he presents himself as "King in the North. Defender of Lapland, Catalonia and Scotland."
Met my friend president @KRLS in Strasbourg today. Great discussions about the right of self-determination of small nations and future projects. So glad mr. Puigdemont and @toni_comin have their seats here now and this political platform to present their agenda. #Catalonia pic.twitter.com/mls44mguAz
— Mikko Kärnä (@KarnaMikko) February 12, 2020
Congratulations #Scotland! I know you will now take your fate into your own hands, steered by your fantastic prime minister @NicolaSturgeon. After you declare independence, I welcome you with open arms to both EU and to Nordic Council. Have faith! You will succeed.
— Mikko Kärnä (@KarnaMikko) December 13, 2019
