Christian lawmaker says UK barred her from entering country after Finland 'hate speech' conviction

A Finnish Christian lawmaker says British authorities revoked her permission to travel to the United Kingdom following her recent "hate speech" conviction over statements expressing biblical views on marriage and sexuality, raising fresh concerns among religious freedom advocates about the consequences of the ruling.

Päivi Räsänen, a member of Finland's Parliament and the country's former interior minister, said her previously approved U.K. Electronic Travel Authorization was canceled without explanation, jeopardizing plans to speak at events in Northern Ireland next month. Räsänen is appealing her conviction to the European Court of Human Rights.

A screenshot of the cancellation message shared with Fox News Digital read, "Dear ETA Customer, The information you provided in your ETA application suggests that you are not eligible for an ETA and it has been cancelled. If you still want to travel to the UK, you will need to apply or reapply for one of the following: Electronic Travel Authorisation Standard visitor visa Transit visa Temporary work – creative worker visa."

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"I tried to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) from the United Kingdom authorities because of my future travels to UK," Räsänen told Fox News Digital in a statement.

"As part of the application process, I was asked to disclose any criminal convictions within the past 12 months. At first, I got a positive answer on 17th June, but on 3rd July I got a shocking message from GOV.UK that my application was cancelled, ‘The information you provided in your ETA application suggests that you are not eligible for an ETA and it has been cancelled.’"

According to Alliance Defending Freedom, who has been representing Räsänen in litigation, in 2019 she criticized her church's sponsorship of an LGBT event in a post on X that included a passage from Romans 1. Finnish prosecutors later charged her with "agitation against a minority group" under the country's criminal code, citing the social media post, a 2004 church pamphlet she wrote about marriage and sexuality, and remarks she made during a 2019 radio discussion.

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Räsänen told Fox News Digital Monday that she had planned to travel to Northern Ireland in August to speak at the Bangor Worldwide Missionary Convention about free speech and faith. She also said the cancellation has already affected her travel plans, forcing her to reroute a recent return trip from California through Dallas rather than connecting through London's Heathrow Airport.

"On 26 March 2026, I was convicted by a narrow 3–2 majority decision of the Supreme Court over statements expressing biblical views on marriage and sexuality in a booklet I wrote in 2004," Räsänen said.

Her booklet is called, "Male and Female He Created Them," and Räsänen said she was sentenced to a total of 20 days' wages worth of fines.

Räsänen said she plans to challenge the decision before the European Court of Human Rights, arguing authorities failed to properly consider her rights to free speech and religious freedom under the European Convention on Human Rights. She said the cancellation has had broader consequences than she anticipated, affecting not only her ability to express her views but also complicating international travel and participation in conferences.

"My greatest concern is that this decision has left many people with uncertainty, confusion, and fear about the consequences of exercising their freedom of speech and faith in a peaceful manner, and about where the line lies between lawful and prohibited speech," Räsänen said.

"Also Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola, who was convicted alongside me because of publishing my booklet, has been denied the travel authorization ETA," she added. "However, I trust that all of this is in God’s hands, and I pray that He leads and guides in the way He wills. During these seven years, I have witnessed how the Lord miraculously turns evil things into good."

Räsänen said she has longstanding ties to the United Kingdom through her parliamentary work, including membership in the Finland–United Kingdom friendship group and previous visits as both a member of Parliament and Finland's interior minister.

She said she plans to travel to the U.K. again for official duties and currently serves on Finland's Foreign Affairs Committee, the country's delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and the board of its Inter-Parliamentary Union group.

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Räsänen added that she has contacted the U.K. Home Office and written to Shabana Mahmood, secretary of state for the Home Department, seeking a response, but has not yet received one.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Lorcan Price, senior legal counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom said, "The refusal of a travel authorization for Päivi Räsänen is the latest example of the United Kingdom government’s authoritarian attempt to suppress any speech or speaker they disagree with."

Price added, "The fact that Päivi was due to address a conference on the theme of religious freedom makes this all the more ironic and outrageous. The UK government has shown contempt for freedom of expression, and this is just the latest example."

Fox News Digital reached out to the U.K. Home Office and Mahmood for comment.