'Even if I bred with a pitch black Nigerian negro': Finnish government minister in new racism row

Another Finnish government minister from the far-right Finns Party has become embroiled in a racist scandal, after messages he sent to his former girlfriend were published by Helsingin Sanomat newspaper. 

Wille Rydman, who wrote the messages when he was an MP for the National Coalition Party, was appointed as minister for economic affairs earlier this month. 

Rydman replaced Vilhelm Junnila, who quit after his own racist speeches and connections with neo-Nazi groups came to light. 

Among the new messages published included Rydman suggesting that Somalis spread like weeds; and sharing lyrics to a song apparently penned by another Finns Party MP which talked about a Muslim who leaves his home country and rapes a woman. Rydman suggested to his ex-girlfriend that the song could be ideally sung at student parties. 

Minister Rydman complained about headscarves that some Muslim women wear; and described people from the Middle East as "monkeys" and "desert monkeys." 

In one message Rydman mused about where his own dark brown eyes might have been inherited from. 

"Even if I bred with a pitch black Nigerian negro, the child would still have a 26% chance of having green eyes," Rydman said. 

The editor-in-chief of Helsingin Sanomat newspaper justified publishing the ostensibly private messages that Rydman sent to his ex-girlfriend, saying there was an overriding public interest in the minister and his views.

Finland's political leaders are well used to being hit, almost weekly, by new scandals involving the Finns Party - one of the four parties which make up the right-wing coalition government. 

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said on Friday that even though the messages had been private, the language was "inappropriate."

"I cannot accept such a