A British man who burned a Quran outside the Turkish consulate in London has been convicted of a religiously aggravated public order offence, reigniting debate over free speech and the return of de facto blasphemy laws.
Hamit Coskun, 50, shouted “f— Islam” and “Islam is [a] religion of terrorism” during a solo protest on February 13 in Knightsbridge. He was attacked by a passerby and later charged under the Public Order Act.
Coskun denied wrongdoing, claiming he was peacefully protesting Turkey’s Islamist government. Westminster Magistrates’ Court disagreed, finding his actions were motivated by hatred toward Muslims.
The court fined Coskun £240. His legal team, backed by the Free Speech Union and the National Secular Society, intends to appeal, warning the verdict sets a dangerous precedent.
The Crown Prosecution Service insisted Coskun was not convicted for burning a book, but for “disorderly behaviour in public motivated by religious hostility.”
