{"id":6085,"date":"2025-06-02T14:06:21","date_gmt":"2025-06-02T14:06:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/?p=6085"},"modified":"2025-06-03T11:35:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T11:35:13","slug":"man-who-burned-koran-outside-embassy-says-verdict-is-assault-on-free-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/02\/man-who-burned-koran-outside-embassy-says-verdict-is-assault-on-free-speech\/","title":{"rendered":"Man who burned Koran outside embassy says verdict is \u2018assault on free speech\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t{“@context”:”https:\/\/schema.org”,”@type”:”VideoObject”,”name”:”Metro.co.uk”,”duration”:”T11S”,”thumbnailUrl”:”https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2025\/06\/02\/11\/98960071-0-image-a-52_1748861077791.jpg”,”uploadDate”:”2025-06-02T11:44:13+0100″,”description”:”Hamit Coskun, 50, shouted “f*** Islam”, “Islam is religion of terrorism” and “Koran is burning” as he held the flaming Islamic text aloft in Rutland Gardens, Knightsbridge, London, on February 13, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard last week.”,”contentUrl”:”https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2025\/06\/02\/2562842409748613068\/480x270_MP4_2562842409748613068.mp4″,”height”:270,”width”:480}<\/p>\n

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class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\twindow.addEventListener(‘metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded’, function(data) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tif (typeof(data.detail) === ‘undefined’ || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === ‘undefined’ || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === ‘undefined’) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\treturn;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar player = data.detail.carousel.el_;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar container = player.closest(‘.metro-video-player’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar placeholder = container.querySelector(‘.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tcontainer.removeChild(placeholder);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tcontainer.classList.add(‘metro-video-player–related-videos-loaded’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t});<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A man found guilty\u00a0of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/05\/28\/convicting-man-accused-of-setting-fire-to-quran-could-reintroduce-blasphemy-23270155\/\">burning\u00a0a\u00a0Koran outside a\u00a0Turkish consulate\u00a0<\/a>in\u00a0<a data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/london\/\">London<\/a> has said his conviction is an ‘assault on free speech’.<\/p>\n<p>Hamit Coskun, 50, shouted \u2018f*** Islam\u2019 and \u2018Islam is religion of terrorism’ while holding the burning religious text above his head in Knightsbridge in February.<\/p>\n<p>Turkey-born\u00a0Coskun, who is half-Kurdish and half-Armenian,\u00a0travelled from his Midlands home to Rutland Gardens to pull the Koran from his bag and burn it on February 13.<\/p>\n<p>He said on social media he was protesting the ‘Islamist government’ of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan, who had ‘made Turkey a base for radical Islamists and is trying to establish a Sharia regime’.<\/p>\n<p>A passerby chased Coskun from the embassy grounds, spitting on and kicking him after he fell to the floor. <\/p>\n<p>Coskun was convicted of a religiously aggravated public order offence motivated by ‘hostility towards members of a religious group, namely followers of Islam’ today.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"363\" src=\"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/SEI_254063810-4cdb.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-23310338\" alt=\"Hamit Coskun leaving Westminster Magistrates' Court, central London, where he was sentenced to a ?240 fine, with a statutory surcharge of ?96 after he was found guilty of a religiously aggravated public order offence of using disorderly behaviour when a Koran was burnt outside the Turkish consulate in London on February 13. Picture date: Monday June 2, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story COURTS Koran. Photo credit should read: Aaron Chown\/PA Wire\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Hamit Coskun leaving Westminster Magistrates’ Court (Picture: PA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He was also found guilty of using disorderly conduct ‘within the hearing or sight of a person likely to have caused harassment, alarm or distress\u2019’ contrary to the\u00a0Crime\u00a0and Disorder Act 1998 and section five of the Public Order Act 1986.<\/p>\n<p>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.’<\/p>\n<p>He ordered Coskun to pay a \u00a3240 fine, with a further charge of \u00a396.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement issued through the Free Speech Union, Coskun said the conviction may bring back ‘blasphemy laws’.<\/p>\n<p>He said: ‘This decision is an assault on free speech and will deter others from exercising their democratic rights to peaceful protest and freedom of expression.<\/p>\n<p>‘As an activist, I will continue to campaign against the threat of Islam.<\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">\n\t\t\t\tLatest London news\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/05\/09\/final-look-londons-iconic-bt-tower-sale-hotel-chain-275-000-000-23056023\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/05\/29\/huge-fire-shop-east-london-fills-sky-smoke-23281945\/\">Huge fire at shop in East London fills the sky with smoke<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/05\/28\/londons-congestion-charge-set-rise-much-cost-23266075\/\">London\u2019s congestion charge set to rise \u2013 here\u2019s how much it could cost you<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/05\/29\/tried-londons-hottest-new-pizza-spot-doesnt-scrimp-toppings-23270189\/\">We tried London\u2019s hottest new pizza spot that doesn\u2019t \u2018scrimp on the toppings\u2019<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em><strong>To get the latest news from the capital visit Metro’s<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/london\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> London news hub<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"431\" src=\"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/SEI_254023857-1342.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-23310331\" alt=\"File photo dated 28\/5\/2025 of Hamit Coskun arriving 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. Issue date: Monday June 2, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story COURTS Koran. Photo credit should read: Ben Whitley\/PA Wire\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Coskun said setting the Koran alight was to protest the Turkish government (Picture: Ben Whitley\/PA Wire)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>‘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. <\/p>\n<p>‘Would I have been prosecuted if I’d set fire to a copy of the bible outside Westminster Abbey? I doubt it.’<\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong><strong><strong>Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"mailto:webnews@metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\">webnews@metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>For more stories like this, <\/strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>check our news page<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>{“@context”:”https:\/\/schema.org”,”@type”:”VideoObject”,”name”:”Metro.co.uk”,”duration”:”T11S”,”thumbnailUrl”:”https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2025\/06\/02\/11\/98960071-0-image-a-52_1748861077791.jpg”,”uploadDate”:”2025-06-02T11:44:13+0100″,”description”:”Hamit Coskun, 50, shouted “f*** Islam”, “Islam is religion of terrorism” and “Koran is burning” as he held the flaming Islamic text aloft in Rutland Gardens, Knightsbridge, London, on February<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link\"><a href=\"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/02\/man-who-burned-koran-outside-embassy-says-verdict-is-assault-on-free-speech\/\" class=\"readmore\">Continue reading<svg class=\"icon icon-arrow-right\" aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"img\"> <use href=\"#icon-arrow-right\" xlink:href=\"#icon-arrow-right\"><\/use> <\/svg><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Man who burned Koran outside embassy says verdict is \u2018assault on free speech\u2019<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6087,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6085"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6085"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6085\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6090,"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6085\/revisions\/6090"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}