Red flare smoke engulfs anti-fascist demonstrators during the Helsinki Without Nazis counter-demonstration in Töölö, Helsinki, on Finland’s Independence Day, opposing the far-right 612 torch march.
Police officers and border guards in riot gear hold a cordon on a rain-slick street in Töölö, Helsinki, separating the Helsinki Without Nazis counter-demonstration from the 612 torch march on Finland’s Independence Day.
A masked demonstrator, lit by blue police lights, stands in Töölö during the Helsinki Without Nazis counter-demonstration on Finland’s Independence Day.
A demonstrator climbs a street sign in Töölö after the Helsinki Without Nazis counter-demonstration on Finland’s Independence Day. The district has become a recurring flashpoint where anti-fascist and far-right groups confront one another.
Police detain a protester at Töölöntori in Helsinki during demonstrations opposing the far-right 612 torch procession on Finland’s Independence Day in 2024. The event later prompted allegations of excessive force against protesters and interference with journalists.
Red flare smoke engulfs anti-fascist demonstrators during the Helsinki Without Nazis counter-demonstration in Töölö, Helsinki, on Finland’s Independence Day, opposing the far-right 612 torch march.
Police officers and border guards in riot gear hold a cordon on a rain-slick street in Töölö, Helsinki, separating the Helsinki Without Nazis counter-demonstration from the 612 torch march on Finland’s Independence Day.
A masked demonstrator, lit by blue police lights, stands in Töölö during the Helsinki Without Nazis counter-demonstration on Finland’s Independence Day.
A demonstrator climbs a street sign in Töölö after the Helsinki Without Nazis counter-demonstration on Finland’s Independence Day. The district has become a recurring flashpoint where anti-fascist and far-right groups confront one another.
Police detain a protester at Töölöntori in Helsinki during demonstrations opposing the far-right 612 torch procession on Finland’s Independence Day in 2024. The event later prompted allegations of excessive force against protesters and interference with journalists.
Fault lines
ongoing
Fault Lines documents the annual Independence Day confrontations in Helsinki, where far-right groups, anti-fascist counter-protesters and police repeatedly meet in a struggle over public space, nationalism and public order.
Made over several years in Töölö and around Töölöntori, the series focuses on a pattern rather than a single event. These demonstrations have become a recurring part of civic life in Finland, revealing how conflicts over national identity and the normalisation of far-right politics continue to play out in the street.
