Finnish PM: 'I Resent' That Videos of Me Partying Leaked

Sanna Marin is known to enjoy the nightlife, but her most recent foray into fun is drawing a good deal of criticism. Finland's 36-year-old prime minister has found herself "in hot water" over videos now circulating on social media that show her partying at a private get-together, "bopping along to Finnish pop music" under purple neon lights, hugging friends, and singing songs, per the Washington Post. TMZ, which shows some of the footage, notes the clips first emerged on an "unknown, private" Instagram account, and that Marin was joined in her revelry by other Finnish luminaries, including celebrities and other politicians.

• Criticism: Heat for having a good time came swiftly once the clips popped up online, with some saying she was acting in a way unbecoming of a prime minister, and even possibly posing a national security risk. "The prime minister can, in a sensitive situation, put the weapons of information warfare in the hands of those who would like to hurt Finland," notes an editorial in Finland's Helsingin Sanomat newspaper.
• Drug test? That was the call from some of Marin's political rivals, including Mikko Karna, a member of Parliament from the nation's Center Party. (Marin's response to that, to a local outlet, via the Post: "I have not used drugs myself, or anything other than alcohol. I've danced, sung, and partied and done perfectly legal things.")
• Further response from Marin: The PM is now conceding that she perhaps let loose in a "boisterous way," but she's miffed at the fact that everyone's talking about it at all. "These videos are private and filmed in a private space," she told reporters, per CNN. "I resent that these became known to the public." She added that the video was taken during a night spent with friends at someone's home (she's not giving up whose) over the summer. She also said she didn't believe the leaked clips are part of any kind of blackmailing scheme.

• Deeper questions: The New York Times dives into the perils of social media for politicians, and how it's hard for them to have any real privacy these days. The paper also asks if Marin, who heads up Finland's Social Democratic Party, is being held "to a different standard," perhaps because of her relatively young age or the fact that she's a woman.
• Support for the PM: Not everyone was upset at Marin for letting off steam. "Proving when you work hard, you can play hard," one commenter noted, per the Post. Another added: "Is Sanna Marin the only chief executive on earth to have documented friends[?]" And from Fabian Zuleeg, CEO of the European Policy Center: "Can someone explain to me why it is seen to be in any way a problem that a politician goes to a party and dances (if it doesn't take place during lockdown that is)?"

(More Sanna Marin stories.)