Man convicted after burning Koran outside Turkish consulate in London

A antheral has been recovered blameworthy of an offence aft burning a Koran extracurricular the Turkish consulate successful London.

Hamit Coskun was accused of shouting "f*** Islam" and "Islam is religion of terrorism" arsenic helium held up a burning transcript of the beatified Islamic substance successful Knightsbridge, London, successful February.

He was recovered blameworthy of a religiously aggravated nationalist bid offence.

The 50-year-old denied the nationalist bid offence of utilizing disorderly behaviour "within the proceeding oregon show of a idiosyncratic apt to beryllium caused harassment, alarm oregon distress", motivated by "hostility towards members of a spiritual group, namely followers of Islam", contrary to the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and the Public Order Act 1986.

He besides pleaded not blameworthy to an alternate complaint of utilizing disorderly behaviour "within the proceeding oregon show of a idiosyncratic apt to beryllium caused harassment, alarm oregon distress", contrary to conception 5 of the Public Order Act 1986.

The charges were alternative, meaning lone 1 oregon the different would apply, but not both.

Prosecutors said Coskun had written connected societal media helium was protesting the "Islamist government" of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had "made Turkey a basal for extremist Islamists and is trying to found a Sharia regime".

Mr Erdogan, who has been successful powerfulness for implicit 20 years, leads the Justice and Development Party (AKP), which, portion created from erstwhile Islamist movements and having a beardown spiritual base, describes itself arsenic a conservative-democratic enactment and has powerfully denied being Islamist.

Barrister Katy Thorne KC, defending, past week argued the prosecution was effectively trying to revive blasphemy laws, which were abolished successful England and Wales successful 2008 and Scotland successful 2021.

Coskun, who has some Kurdish and Armenian practice but was calved successful Turkey, travelled from his location successful the Midlands and acceptable occurrence to the Koran connected the day of 13 February, Westminster Magistrates' Court heard past week.

Footage aired successful tribunal showed different antheral confronting Coskun, allegedly holding a weapon and saying: "It's my religion, you don't pain the Koran."

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