Finland’s representative at last month’s Miss Universe pageant in Thailand sparked a racist storm over a photo of her with her eyes stretched out.

Deposed Sarah Dzafce uploaded the photo with the caption “Eating with the Chinese”. The squinting gesture is often seen as disrespectful to East Asians.

The post sparked backlash against the 22-year-old in Japan, South Korea and China, and even targeted her country’s flagship airline, Finnair.

Back in Finland, the prime minister said on Monday that such a move would be “reckless and foolish” and that the ensuing controversy would be “harmful” to the country.

Ms Zafus claimed the gesture was a reaction to a headache she suffered at dinner. She said a friend added the offensive caption to the Dec. 11 post without her consent, local tabloid Ilta-Sanomat reported.

Ms Zafce has apologized for the photo, noting that it “caused ill will in many people”.

“This was never my intention… One of the most important things to me is respecting people, their backgrounds and differences,” she wrote in an Instagram post.

The apology still drew criticism, with some calling it “disingenuous” because it was written in Finnish.

“Not sure if Chinese people outside of Finland will understand. Such a thoughtful and sincere apology,” one netizen commented under her post.

Another wrote: “This was uncalled for, Asians didn’t do anything to you… We are still disappointed in you.”

Two right-wing Finnish MPs, Juho Eerola and Kaisa Garedew, posted photos of themselves imitating Ms Zafce’s gestures to show support for the beauty queen.

The posts were removed after backlash. Elora apologized and added that he believed Ms Zafce had been “disproportionately harsh”.

Finnish Prime Minister Petri Orpo condemned the behavior of MPs as “childish”, adding that MPs should set an example of correct behavior.

The Finns Party is considering whether MPs should be sanctioned for their actions, local media reported.

Finland’s flag carrier Finnair told public broadcaster Yle the controversy had affected the company, and there were calls for tourists to boycott Finland.

“The statements or posts mentioned by some members of the Finnish Parliament do not represent Finnair’s values,” the airline wrote on its Japan X account on Tuesday.

“As an airline supported by employees from diverse backgrounds and customers from around the world, we are committed to welcoming everyone with respect,” it reads.

The disaster also drew attention from East Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and China.

A Japanese man living in Finland started a petition calling for an investigation into anti-Asian discrimination, which had collected more than 7,000 signatures as of Sunday evening, the Asahi Shimbun reported.

The Finnish embassy in Japan said it had received “a large number of comments and questions” about Finland’s efforts to address racism.

“Racism remains a challenge in Finnish society and addressing it requires sustained and determined efforts,” it acknowledged in an X post earlier this week.

The controversy surrounding Ms. Zafis was a postscript to a chaotic Miss Universe pageant in Thailand. Haunted by strikes and rigging accusations.

The Miss Finland organization said the ouster of Ms Zafce was a “difficult but necessary” move.

“Miss Finland has role model status, which requires respect for all people, regardless of origin, background or appearance,” the organization said in a statement.

“We are deeply sorry for the hurt caused by these incidents. Especially for the Asian community, but also for all those affected. Racism of any kind is unacceptable,” it read.