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.
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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“
Merz pushes PA’s Abbas on reforms ahead of Israel trip
BERLIN: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for reforms of the Palestinian Authority in a phone call with its leader Mahmud Abbas early Saturday, hours before taking off for Israel.
Speaking from Berlin, Merz urged Abbas to push through “urgently necessary reforms” at the Palestinian Authority so that the organization could “play a constructive role in a post-war order,” according to German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius.
Merz also underscored German support for US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza and “welcomed the Palestinian Authority’s cooperative attitude” toward the deal in the call, the spokesman said.
The fragile ceasefire agreement to end the Gaza war is supposed to be just the first phase of the plan.
Germany is among Israel’s closest allies and most outspoken supporters.
Merz’s call with Abbas came hours before the chancellor was scheduled to leave Berlin late Saturday morning for an overnight visit to Israel.
After a brief stop in Jordan, where Merz is scheduled to meet with the Jordanian King Abdullah II, Merz is expected to arrive in Jerusalem for meetings with top Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Merz also plans to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Israel.
In his call with Abbas, Merz reiterated Germany’s position that a two-state solution remains the ultimate way to achieve peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians, according to the spokesman.
Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials hvae repeatedly rejected the prospect of an independent Palestinian state.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which seized control of the Gaza Strip from the Palestinian Authority in 2007, has also explicitly ruled out a two-state solution.
Speaking from Berlin, Merz urged Abbas to push through “urgently necessary reforms” at the Palestinian Authority so that the organization could “play a constructive role in a post-war order,” according to German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius.
Merz also underscored German support for US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza and “welcomed the Palestinian Authority’s cooperative attitude” toward the deal in the call, the spokesman said.
The fragile ceasefire agreement to end the Gaza war is supposed to be just the first phase of the plan.
Germany is among Israel’s closest allies and most outspoken supporters.
Merz’s call with Abbas came hours before the chancellor was scheduled to leave Berlin late Saturday morning for an overnight visit to Israel.
After a brief stop in Jordan, where Merz is scheduled to meet with the Jordanian King Abdullah II, Merz is expected to arrive in Jerusalem for meetings with top Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Merz also plans to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Israel.
In his call with Abbas, Merz reiterated Germany’s position that a two-state solution remains the ultimate way to achieve peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians, according to the spokesman.
Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials hvae repeatedly rejected the prospect of an independent Palestinian state.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which seized control of the Gaza Strip from the Palestinian Authority in 2007, has also explicitly ruled out a two-state solution.
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