An atheist has been found guilty of a religiously aggravated public order offence after he burnt a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish Consulate in London.
Hamit Coskun, 50, 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.
District Judge John McGarva ruled today that the defendant’s actions were “motivated at least in part by hostility towards Muslims” and that his conduct “was not a reasonable exercise” of his rights under the European Convention on Human Rights.
Delivering the verdict, McGarva said on Monday: “Your actions in burning the Quran where you did were highly provocative, and 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.”
He ordered Coskun to pay a £240 fine, with a statutory surcharge of £96.
The defendant argued that he was practicing his “right of freedom of speech” in his action that sparked large reaction in Britain as a footage of the incident went viral on social media platforms.
However, the judge rejected the defendant’s narrative, noting that he “clearly holds a deep-seated hatred of Islam and its followers. His attempt to distinguish between the religion and its adherents was not sustainable.”
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In his verdict, Judge McGarva found the defendant’s actions on the day in question to be deliberately provocative.
Standing outside the embassy, Coskun held up a Quran, set it on fire, and repeatedly shouted: “The Quran is burning,” while using what the judge described as “abusive language,” including expletives directed at Islam.
The demonstration provoked two assaults against him which the court said showed the extent of “serious public disorder” the act had triggered.
The judge concluded that the defendant had intended to cause such a reaction.
“The timing, place and the conduct you chose. You knew Muslims would be present, and you were aware that his conduct was likely to be provocative,” he said.
But 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.”
