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Man convicted after burning Koran outside Turkish consulate in London
A man has been found guilty of an offence after burning a Koran outside the Turkish consulate in London, in a case that sparked debate over the freedom of expression.
Hamit Coskun was accused of shouting "f*** Islam" and "Islam is religion of terrorism" as he held up a burning copy of the holy Islamic text in Knightsbridge, London, in February. Today, at Westminster Magistrates' Court, he was found guilty of a religiously aggravated public order offence.
Delivering the verdict, district judge John McGarva said: "Your actions in burning the Koran where you did were highly provocative, and your actions were accompanied by bad language in some cases directed toward the religion and were motivated at least in part by hatred of followers of the religion." He ordered Coskun to pay a £240 fine, with a statutory surcharge of £96. The National Secular Society (NSS), which paid his legal fees jointly with the Free Speech Union (FSU), called it a "significant blow to freedom of expression".
In a statement issued through the FSU, Coskun said the decision would "deter others from exercising their democratic rights to peaceful protest and freedom of expression". He vowed to "continue to campaign against the threat of Islam".
"Christian blasphemy laws were repealed in this country more than 15 years ago and it cannot be right to prosecute someone for blaspheming against Islam," he said. "Would I have been prosecuted if I'd set fire to a copy of the bible outside Westminster Abbey? I doubt it." The 50-year-old had denied using disorderly behaviour "within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress.
Amir Nisi
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