British courts deliver a stunning free speech victory by upholding the acquittal of a man stabbed for burning a Quran in protest, rejecting government overreach that echoed blasphemy laws.
Story Highlights
- High Court on February 27, 2026, dismissed CPS appeal, confirming Hamit Coskun’s acquittal for burning Quran outside Turkish Embassy as protected protest.
- Coskun, a Turkish resident in England, targeted Turkey’s secularism failure; stabbed in hand during act, now under Home Office protection.
- Initial conviction for religiously aggravated public order offense overturned, ruling offensive protest non-criminal if reasonable.
- Secular groups hail rejection of “backdoor blasphemy”; calls for CPS review and DPP resignation.
Protest Event Unfolds
On February 13, 2025, Hamit Coskun, a half-Kurdish, half-Armenian Turkish man living in England, burned a Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in London. He shouted anti-Islam statements to protest Turkey’s President for eroding secularism. An attacker stabbed Coskun in the hand during the act. Coskun required hospitalization before police arrested him. The incident highlighted immediate violence risks tied to such demonstrations. Home Office later provided protection due to threats.
Legal Journey Through Courts
Westminster Magistrates’ Court convicted Coskun in June 2025 under section 31(1)(c) of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. The charge stemmed from a religiously aggravated public order offense under section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986. Prosecutors cited Coskun’s police interview comments showing hostility to Muslims, despite no public expression of those views at the protest. Southwark Crown Court acquitted him on appeal in October 2025, deeming the behavior reasonable protest.
Crown Prosecution Service appealed to the High Court in February 2026. Lord Justice Warby and Ms Justice Obi dismissed the appeal on February 27, 2026. They ruled the Crown Court rationally acquitted, as disorderly behavior can remain non-criminal in legitimate protests. This decision reinforced post-2008 boundaries after England and Wales repealed blasphemy laws.
Stakeholders Rally for Free Expression
National Secular Society and Free Speech Union funded Coskun’s defense. Humanists UK supported the acquittal, warning public order laws chill expression, especially for ex-Muslims. Coskun stated he felt reassured to educate the British public on radical Islam dangers. Political figures like Robert Jenrick praised the outcome as a free speech win. These groups view the ruling as safeguarding offensive protests over religious offense.
CPS maintained no blasphemy intent, focusing on disorderly conduct and hostility. Director of Public Prosecutions faced calls to resign from Free Speech Union’s Lord Young, who deemed the appeal unwarranted. National Secular Society’s Stephen Evans demanded CPS charging review. Humanists UK offered government expertise for better legal protections balancing order and speech.
Implications for Free Speech Defenders
The ruling delivers short-term humiliation to CPS, with potential scrutiny on prosecutions. Long-term, it clarifies public order laws protect reasonable offensive protests, deterring backdoor blasphemy charges. Secular and ex-Muslim communities gain safer expression avenues. Social debates intensify on offense versus speech rights, underscoring violence risks like Coskun’s stabbing. Politically, it bolsters advocates questioning state overreach on expression.
Sources:
High Court upholds acquittal for Quran burning
GB News: Hamit Coskun acquittal overturn bid lost by CPS
Telegraph: Koran burner wins landmark blasphemy case
