Man Convicted for Burning Quran Outside Turkish Consulate in London

Gaza, MINA – A 50-year-old man has been found guilty of a religiously aggravated public order offence after burning a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish Consulate in Knightsbridge, London, an act which reignited national debate over the boundaries of free speech and religious hate, Anadolu Agency reported.

Hamit Coskun was accused of shouting Islamophobic slogans while holding up and setting fire to the Islamic holy book during a protest in February. District Judge John McGarva ruled on Monday that Coskun’s actions were “motivated at least in part by hostility towards Muslims” and were not a “reasonable exercise” of his freedom of expression under the European Convention on Human Rights.

“Your actions in burning the Koran where you did were highly provocative,” the judge stated. “Your actions were accompanied by abusive language, in some cases directed toward the religion, and were motivated at least in part by hatred of followers of the religion.”

Coskun defended his actions by claiming they were an expression of his right to free speech. However, the court rejected this claim, with Judge McGarva asserting that Coskun “clearly holds a deep-seated hatred of Islam and its followers,” adding that his attempt to separate criticism of the religion from hatred of its adherents was “not sustainable.”

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The court heard that Coskun deliberately staged the demonstration outside the consulate, fully aware that Muslims would likely be present. During the protest, he repeatedly shouted “The Quran is burning,” alongside profane and abusive remarks targeting Islam.

While the demonstration led to two assaults against Coskun which the court acknowledged as unjustified the judge said these incidents reflected the level of public disorder provoked by the act. He concluded that Coskun intended to cause such a reaction through the “timing, place, and conduct” of his actions. []

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)

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