• A man named Hamit Coskun was found guilty of burning a Quran outside the Turkish Consulate in London.
• The incident reignited debates over free speech and hate speech in the UK.
• He was fined £240 for his actions, which the judge described as highly provocative.
• The Free Speech Union expressed disappointment over the verdict, citing concerns about freedom of expression.

A 50-year-old man, Hamit Coskun, has been found guilty of a religiously aggravated public order offence for burning a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish Consulate in London. The court ruled that the incident, which took place in February, raised significant questions regarding the limits of free speech, particularly as Coskun was heard chanting Islamophobic slogans while holding the burning book, according to aa, indiatimes, and trtglobal.

District Judge John McGarva stated that Coskun's actions were "highly provocative" and constituted not a reasonable exercise of his rights under the European Convention on Human Rights. The judge emphasized that such conduct was driven in part by "hostility towards Muslims," declaring that "the timing, place, and conduct you chose" demonstrated an intent to provoke a reaction, according to aa, indiatimes, and trtglobal.

Coskun claimed he was exercising his right to free speech and stated that his actions were directed solely at the "Islamist government" of Turkey. However, the Free Speech Union and the National Secular Society, which support his legal fees, argued that he faced prosecution for exercising his right to blasphemy, despite the strong free-speech guarantees in the UK. The Free Speech Union described the verdict as "deeply disappointing,” emphasizing the necessity of protecting the right to protest peacefully, according to indiatimes and trtglobal.