LONDON: A Turkish-born man who burned a Qur'an in London won an appeal on Friday against his conviction, in a ruling hailed by free-speech campaigners.
Hamit Coskun, 51, was found guilty in June of a religiously aggravated public order offense and was issued with a fine.
He had set the religious book alight outside the Turkish consulate in London in February while shouting slogans against Islam.
His case was taken up by the National Secular Society (NSS) and the Free Speech Union (FSU), who argued that Coskun was essentially being prosecuted for blasphemy.
Ruling in Coskun’s favor, judge Joel Bennathan told Southwark Crown Court on Friday that: “There is no offense of blasphemy in our law.”
“Burning a Qur'an may be an act that many Muslims find desperately upsetting and offensive,” according to the judge.
He said that the criminal law does not seek to “avoid people being upset, even grievously upset.”
“The right to freedom of expression, if it is a right worth having, must include the right to express views that offend, shock or disturb,” he added.
Blasphemy laws were abolished in England and Wales in 2008.
In a statement, Coskun, who is half-Kurdish and half-Armenian, said he came to England “having been persecuted in Turkiye, to be able to speak freely about the dangers of radical Islam.”
“I am reassured that, despite many troubling developments, I will now be free to educate the British public about my beliefs,” he added.
The FSU said the successful appeal sent a message that “anti-religious protests, however offensive to true believers, must be tolerated.”
Coskun has also received the support of the opposition Conservative party’s justice spokesperson Robert Jenrick.
Turkish-born man who burned Qur'an in London wins appeal
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Turkish-born man who burned Qur'an in London wins appeal
- Coskun had set the religious book alight outside the Turkish consulate in London in February
- Judge Bennathan told Southwark Crown Court that: “There is no offense of blasphemy in our law“
