"If you continue the same policy of betrayal of the fatherland and you want to transport more Islamists to Finland to destroy the future of our country, I must come and shoot you."
This text is derived from an e-mail Yle found via social media this summer. The death threat is alleged to have been directed at a high level Finnish politician.
The Helsinki Police – who are responsible for the protection of parliamentarians – refuse to comment on the wording of individual death threats, and thus cannot confirm or disprove the veracity of this particular hate message.
Individual statistics are not kept on death threats, however the kind of message shown above is not uncommon, says Chief Inspector Heikki Porola of the Helsinki Police Department.
”Certainly, these things come up every week when you’re talking about state leaders. Such instances have increased in the era of social media,” he says.
"Such things used to be written on toilet walls in a fit of anger"
Porola does not think that Finland has actually become a more dangerous place for high level politicians. According to him, it is just that these days some people’s smouldering resentment is more visible than it once was.
“Hate messages are so easy. Previously, such things used to be written on paper or on toilet walls in a fit of anger. Now, they can float up in cyber space,” says the inspector.
In addition, the internet has made it much easier to conceal the identity of the person sending the death threat. E-mails do not bear fingerprints, nor do they reveal the author's handwriting.
Tracing threats difficult in cyberspace
Despite this, police officers are employed in tracking down offenders. Each death threat case must be assessed to determine how serious the author of the message is and whether the threat constitutes an illegal threat, or breaches discrimination or defamation codes.
“Threat assessments are made through various analytical methods. Sometimes the matter goes forward, and it has to be weighed according to common sense whether or not it’s an issue,” says Porola.
Tracing the author is not a simple process either. Messages sent directly to an individual are usually anonymous or use fake names. Police try to determine the IP address of the sender and if the message is sent from a public computer, such as in a library, it can be possible to then determine who used the computer and when.
However, death threats are often sent using internet encryption software, in which police try to work out which parties in particular might have an axe to grind.
“Then we go with traditional policing methods. Often the message is based on an earlier encounter,” says Porola.
The situation may eventually lead to politicians being assigned personal protection. If a suspect is identified, police may order a search of their computer.
The police assure their security is up to date.
“We’re precise and take into account what is happening in the rest of the world. [Police] assessment methods and professionalism have increased,” says Porola.