Tampere Officials Defend Free Speech as Keskustori Sermons Draw Complaints

A small religious group has been preaching at Keskustori on Wednesday afternoons, drawing complaints from passersby. Local paper Tamperelainen reported the activity prompted a joint response from the city, public transport operator Nysse and the police.

Passersby say the group's messages — sometimes amplified through a battery-powered speaker and delivered by members wearing neon-yellow vests — have condemned cohabitation and homosexuality and declared "Jesus is the only way to heaven." Commuter Petra Saarinen told Tamperelainen she found a recent sermon shocking. She said the repeated activity dominates public space and risks exposing children and young people to what she described as hostile content.

The group says it is exercising free speech and aims to follow the law, insisting amplified sound is acceptable when not connected to the mains. City service coordinator Anna Pääsky said the city had issued a joint statement with Nysse and the police citing constitutional protection for expression, but noting that permits are required for organised, large-scale, dangerous or noisy activity, or when fixed structures are used — in other words, where assembly law applies. The statement warns that handing out leaflets on public transport is prohibited and that police can intervene if disturbance calls are made. Commissioner Petri Kollanen said police had received no such calls so far.