Finnish appeals court increases sentence on neo-Nazi

COPENHAGEN – A Finnish appeals court has increased by three months the sentence on a neo-Nazi activist for assaulting another man who later died of a head wound sustained when he fell to the ground.

Helsinki’s Courts of Appeal said Friday Jesse Torniainen was guilty of aggravated assault for kicking 28-year-old Jimi Joonas Karttunen during a demonstration on Sept. 10.

The court said Torniainen, of the Finnish chapter of the Nordic Resistance Movement, was provoked by Karttunen, who allegedly disparaged the group and spat on the ground. The Helsinki District Court sentenced him to two years in December 2016.

The incident drew public attention and led to the banning of the far-right group by a court on the grounds of spreading hatred and advocating violence as self-defence.