Miss Finland Sarah Dzafce published a long post on social media in which she apologizes.
Sarah Dzafce comments on her recent behavior on social media. Pete Anikari
Miss Finland Sarah Dzafce22, is apologizing for his recent behavior. He does not directly refer to anything in his writing, but he recently found himself in the middle of a racism uproar.
– I want to speak directly to you now. I fully understand that my actions have upset many people and I am deeply sorry for that. I especially want to apologize to those who have been personally affected by this situation. It was not my intention in any way, Dzafce begins his writing.
– The Miss Finland title is not only a crown for me, but also a responsibility. Responsibility for how I speak, act and how my actions can affect people. I know I still have a lot of growing to do.
Dzafce stresses that respecting other people’s backgrounds and differences is one of the most important things for him.
– I take responsibility for my actions and will learn from this. In the future, I want to show more with actions than with words what kind of Miss Finland I am. Miss Finland, who connects, listens and meets people warmly. I will learn from this and promise to grow, he adds at the end.
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The uproar started when a questionable screenshot of Dzafce was published on the chat service Jodel. In the picture, Miss Suomi has stretched her eyes crookedly with her fingers. The text “eating with the Chinese” was written on the picture.
The picture caused a strong avalanche of criticism, as some interpreted that the miss was mocking Asians. At that time, Dzafce commented to Iltalehti that the picture was “completely out of context”.
– I was eating in a restaurant with my friend and I had a severe headache and pain in my eye. I leaned on the table, rubbed my temples and stretched my eyes because it eased the pressure, missi said.
Sarah Dzafce represented Finland in the Miss Universe competition in November, but did not reach the top 30. EPA/AOP
According to Dzafce, his friend thought the expression was funny and wanted to take a picture.
– I smiled at the camera and he wrote his own text on it. That text was not written by me and is in no way related to my purpose. The picture was intended only for close friends, not to be shared more widely.
Dzafce also emphasized that he does not accept racism. He himself has Kosovar roots.
– I myself have experienced a lot of discrimination because of my background, and I would never do the same to others. This has been a misunderstanding and completely out of context.