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London court fines Quran-burning protester under public order law as Coskun readies appeal

Conservative MPs have introduced a Freedom of Expression (Religion) Bill to extend legal safeguards for critiquing faith

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EDITORS NOTE: OFFENSIVE GESTURE Hamit Coskun arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court, central London, where he is charged with a religiously aggravated public order offence after a Koran was burnt outside the Turkish consulate in London on February 13. Picture date: Wednesday May 28, 2025. (Photo by Ben Whitley/PA Images via Getty Images)
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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.