Man fined after burning Qur'an outside Turkish consulate in London
A man has been fined after he set fire to a Qur'an outside the Turkish consulate in London, in an act that was deemed 'motivated at least in part by a hatred of Muslims' by a judge.
Hamit Coskun, 50, who was found guilty of a religiously aggravated public order offence on Monday, called his prosecution 'an assault on free speech'.
In February, Coskun travelled from his home in the Midlands to Rutland Gardens, Knightsbridge, where he set fire to a copy of the Islamic holy book and shouted 'f*** Islam', 'Islam is religion of terrorism' and 'Qur'an is burning'.
Coskun, who was born in Turkey and is half Kurdish and half Armenian, argued in court that he had protested peacefully and burning the Qur'an amounted to freedom of expression.
The district judge, John McGarva, found that Coskun's actions were 'highly provocative' and said he was 'motivated at least in part by a hatred of Muslims'. Coskun had argued his criticism was of Islam in general rather than its followers but Judge McGarva said he could not accept this.
Coskun's legal fees are being paid by the National Secular Society (NSS) and the Free Speech Union (FSU), both of which criticised the ruling and said they intend to appeal 'and keep on appealing it until it's overturned'.
The advocacy group Muslim Engagement and Development (Mend) quoted the judge's sentencing remarks on X, commenting on the ruling with the hashtag #hatespeechisnotfreespeech.
The ruling has also prompted comment from figures in Westminster. The prime minister's official spokesperson, who was asked about the case, declined to comment but said there are no blasphemy laws in England nor are there any plans to introduce any.
Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservative party, said on X that the case 'should go to appeal'. 'Freedom of belief, and freedom not to believe, are inalienable rights in Britain,' she said. 'I'll defend those rights to my dying day.'
McGarva, who issued a fine of £240, rejected the idea that the prosecution was 'an attempt to bring back and expand blasphemy law'.
In his ruling, he said burning a religious book and making criticism of Islam or the Qur'an are 'not necessarily disorderly', but added: 'What made his conduct disorderly was the timing and location of the conduct and that all this was accompanied by abusive language.'
The judge said Coskun, who is an atheist, has a 'deep-seated hatred of Islam and its followers' based on his experiences in Turkey and the experiences of his family, and that it was 'not possible to separate his views about the religion from his views about its followers'.
The judge said: 'A criminal conviction is a proportionate response to the defendant's conduct.
'I am sure that the defendant acted in a disorderly way by burning the Qur'an very obviously in front of the Turkish consulate where there were people who were likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress and accompanying his provocative act with bad language.
'I am sure that he was motivated at least in part by a hatred of Muslims. I therefore find the defendant guilty.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
Concert musician has ‘priceless' 300-year-old violin stolen
A 300-year-old violin, valued at over £150,000, was stolen from a London pub. The instrument, made in Florence in 1740, belongs to a member of the Philharmonia Orchestra. The theft occurred on the evening of February 18 at The Marquess Tavern in Islington. Metropolitan Police have released CCTV images of a suspect and are appealing for witnesses. Police are urging anyone with information to contact them to help return the "priceless" violin to its owner. Philharmonia Orchestra player's £150,000 violin stolen from London pub
Reuters
23 minutes ago
- Reuters
UK police ban Palestine Action protest outside parliament
LONDON, June 23 (Reuters) - British police have banned campaign group Palestine Action from protesting outside parliament on Monday, a rare move that comes after two of its members broke into a military base last week and as the government considers banning the organisation. The group said in response that it had changed the location of its protest on Monday to Trafalgar Square, which lies just outside the police exclusion zone. The pro-Palestinian organisation is among groups that have regularly targeted defence firms and other companies in Britain linked to Israel since the start of the conflict in Gaza. British media have reported that the government is considering proscribing, or effectively banning, Palestine Action, as a terrorist organisation, putting it on a par with al-Qaeda or ISIS. London's Metropolitan Police said late on Sunday that it would impose an exclusion zone for a protest planned by Palestine Action outside the Houses of Parliament - a popular location for protests in support of a range of causes. "The right to protest is essential and we will always defend it, but actions in support of such a group go beyond what most would see as legitimate protest," Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said. "We have laid out to Government the operational basis on which to consider proscribing this group." Palestine Action's members are alleged to have caused millions of pounds of criminal damage, assaulted a police officer with a sledgehammer and, in the incident last week, damaged two military aircraft, Rowley added.
Daily Mail
28 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Iris Law clarifies relationship status after sparking romance rumours with DJ Tommy Gold on Notting Hill outing
Iris Law has spoken out to clarify her relationship with DJ Tommy Gold after the two sparked romance rumours this week during a Notting Hill outing. The model daughter of Jude Law and Sadie Frost, 24, was seen with the London-based DJ - who bears a striking resemblance to her ex Trent Alexander-Arnold. The pair were seen browsing stalls at the famous Portobello Road Market, where they paused to pick up some flowers in the seemingly romantic setting. However, Iris has now addressed the speculation and insisted that Tommy is her 'bestie', taking to Instagram on Sunday to clarify their relationship. Resharing a picture of their day out, Iris wrote: '[laughing face emoji] sorry guys but that's bestie.' During the outing, Iris dressed for the hot weather as she stepped out in a dark grey vest top with a white lace bra and a pair of cream low-rise satin lace shorts. She paired the look with a silk head scarf and slip on black shoes as she carried a rubbish bag seemingly filled with clothes. Iris last sparked romance rumours in October when it was reported she was growing close to her ex Pa Salieu again after her split from England footballer Trent. She had been tapping the heart button in response to social media posts by the rapper, just a month after his release from a 33-month jail sentence for violent disorder. She also commented on his latest post, writing: 'Fiya'. The pair were first seen together in October 2021 and relationship rumours were sparked in April the following year. It is not known when they split. Brit nominee Pa was jailed for two years and nine months for taking part in a mob attack on a 23-year-old man shortly after his best friend was stabbed to death. The 27-year-old admitted violent disorder at a previous hearing, having been caught on CCTV using a tree branch to repeatedly hit the victim, who spent ten days in hospital. The BRIT Award-nominated artist, who was named the BBC's Sound of 2021, was cleared by a jury of a second count of violent disorder relating to a mass brawl in a nearby street minutes earlier, which led to the death of 21-year-old Fidel Glasgow, grandson of The Special's singer Neville Staple. The pair were first seen together in October 2021 and relationship rumours were sparked in April the following year . It is not known when they split. Pa was convicted of possessing a bottle as an offensive weapon after telling jurors he smashed and brandished it to defend himself. Following his arrest, the court heard, Pa told police Mr Glasgow was his best friend and then exercised his right to silence. No one has ever been charged with Mr Glasgow's murder, despite extensive inquiries into disorder following a music event at Coventry's Club M in the early hours of September 1, 2018. In September 2024, it was revealed Iris had split from boyfriend Trent. They were first linked in May after they were spotted cosying up during a racy Guess photoshoot. Just weeks before reports of their break-up, they were pictured enjoying a PDA-filled beach getaway in Barbados. A source told The Sun that despite having a 'really fun summer' and holidaying with Trent's family in July, the pair's busy work schedules are now clashing. 'Life is about to get really busy for them both, with Trent's schedule packed with first-team football and Iris having jobs all over the world. 'So even though they are not dating any more, Iris and Trent will definitely stay friends.' The source added Iris was very into Trent, but has prioritised her career as she is 'focused on her own success.' 'And being a Wag was never really going to be her bag, especially as Trent lives up North and she's based in London.' Iris and Trent were first pictured together back in May 2024, sparking romance rumours as they enjoyed a low-key stroll together in London. An onlooker said at the time: 'They looked very relaxed and happy and were just strolling around like two ordinary young people having a nice time. You'd never have thought that they are very rich and famous, and most people didn't even spot them. 'They popped into a café to get their drinks and as it was a nice day, were just having an enjoyable walk.' The couple also visited 281 Portobello, a trendy shopping arcade and then got into a Mercedes people carrier. MailOnline then revealed that Trent had been liking Iris's social media snaps - and she liked his back. Iris had posted a series of photographs of herself in bed, having fun with friends and in front of a giant billboard with her face on it, which received a like from the Liverpool footballer. Another picture showed her clinging on to a mystery man on the back of a motorcycle with fans quick to tag Trent and even suggest that it might be him. It is not known how Iris and Trent met, but the footballer is believed to have been on celebrity dating app Raya, which has been described as 'The Soho House of dating apps' because of its exclusive clientele.
