Harassment: Why Is the Man Known as Kotkamies Not Held Accountable? Police Respond

Finnish police say the conduct of YouTuber Dani Söderblom, who uses the name Kotkamies, may not meet the elements of any crime, despite dozens of criminal reports filed against him.

Police inspector Konsta Arvelin of the National Police Board says the legal threshold is not reached by every form of inappropriate behavior. The question is therefore not simply whether Kotkamies’s actions have angered or disturbed people, but whether they fulfill the specific requirements of a criminal offense.

Police also point to possible weaknesses in the reports made against Söderblom. Some complaints may be incomplete, or investigators may not have enough evidence to establish that a crime occurred.

Söderblom has published YouTube videos in which he provokes members of the public, including material recorded without their knowledge. His brazen hidden-camera videos have caused widespread outrage recently.

The government is preparing a business restraining order that could give shops more tools to address harassment. The proposed measure could help businesses intervene even when behavior does not clearly meet the threshold for criminal prosecution.

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Not all inappropriate behavior is criminal under the law.