Public protests at Helsinki Airport – FAQ

The Constitution of Finland provides everyone with the freedom of speech and association. Everyone has the right to organise public meetings and protests. Anyone can follow public meetings and protests, and everyone who wants to exercise their freedom of speech and association can participate in them.

No licence is required for organising a public protest. A notification of a protest must be submitted to the police department of the municipality in which the protest is to be held at least 24 hours before the protest. A notification submitted later can also be considered valid if the meeting or protest does not cause any unreasonable public order disturbance.

The police aim to negotiate the arrangements of a protest with the party organising the protest. Through negotiations, the police aim to be better prepared for the protest and safeguard everyone’s right to protest.

The police can assign a suitable location for protesters if the originally assigned location cannot be used. The police also prepare to assign a location for any counter-protest. The location of each protest will be selected considering the safety of the protesters and the impact of the protest on traffic and other people.

The Eastern Uusimaa Police Department maintains public order and security at Helsinki Airport. The police also control traffic, are responsible for emergency response, safeguards international state visits, and carry out other duties assigned to the police at Helsinki Airport. 

In addition to the Eastern Uusimaa Police Department, other security authorities carry out their duties at Helsinki Airport. These include the Finnish Border Guard and Finnish Customs.

Public protests are permitted at Helsinki Airport, but they can only be organised in the airport’s public areas. Protests cannot be organised in any areas closed to the public.

The police will assign a suitable location for a protest if the protest is held inside the airport or in the immediate vicinity of entrance routes. In these locations, protests may cause a hazard or unreasonable disturbance to passengers, other people, traffic or airport operations. The police will negotiate the most suitable location with the organiser. 

Helsinki Airport is a hub for domestic and international traffic with very high traffic volumes. Every year, some 20 million passengers and tonnes of cargo and mail pass through the airport. Helsinki Airport also marks the external border of Finland and the European Union.

The safety of air traffic is regulated in extremely high detail in Finnish and European law, as well as in international agreements. Due to the safety requirements set for the airport, it cannot be compared with any public location. Air traffic, security checks, the occupational safety of airport employees and the safety of passengers, as well as public order and security, cannot be disturbed or endangered at any time of the day.

Due to the special characteristics of Helsinki Airport, the police will always allocate sufficient resources for protests. The police safeguard the safety of the airport, protesters and other people during protests. Furthermore, the police ensure that everyone can protest peacefully.

Protests can be organised in public areas at Helsinki Airport. However, the police may relocate a protest to a more appropriate place if holding the protest in the assigned location endangers people’s safety, causes significant harm to the environment or damage to property, or unreasonably disturbs traffic or other people. 

The police will negotiate the relocation of a protest with its organisers. If the protest organiser cannot be reached, the police can take the action permitted by law without any negotiations.

When negotiating a more appropriate location, the police will always consider the safety of the protesters, overall safety and security at the airport, passenger volumes, and any hazards and disruptions caused by the protest. A more appropriate location will be assessed separately for each protest. 

Protests are not permitted inside Helsinki Airport’s terminals or in their immediate vicinity because they may cause a hazard or unreasonable disturbance to passengers, other people, traffic or airport operations. The volume of incoming and outgoing traffic is high in front of terminals especially during peak hours, but practically around the clock, including public transport, taxis, private cars, passengers and people escorting them.

The police’s duty is to ensure that protests are held safely, and that they also end safely. A protest does not usually stop immediately, as each protester vacates the area in their own time.

The police ensure that each protest ends safely and under control. Furthermore, the police ensure that no tension can build up between protesters and any counter-protesters.