Overview
- Hamit Coskun was convicted of a religiously aggravated public order offence for burning a Qur’an outside the Turkish consulate in London and fined £240 plus a £96 surcharge.
- District Judge John McGarva found Coskun’s conduct “highly provocative” and motivated “in part by hostility towards followers of Islam.”
- The Free Speech Union and National Secular Society are backing Coskun’s planned appeal, describing the verdict as a threat to free expression.
- Conservative MP Nick Timothy and 11 colleagues drafted the Freedom of Expression (Religion) Bill to clarify that criticism of any religion is protected under sections of the Public Order Act.
- The case has intensified discussions on balancing freedom of speech with religious sensitivity, following comparable controversies and legal shifts in Sweden and Denmark.