Burning Koran outside consulate was 'free speech', argues defence

A MAN who burned a Koran outside the Turkish consulate in London was using his human right to free speech, an appeal hearing has been told.

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Hamit Coskun, who was previously reported as living in Derby, was found guilty in June of a religiously aggravated public order offence, having shouted “Islam is religion of terrorism” and “Koran is burning” while holding the flaming religious text aloft outside the Turkish consulate on February 13.

Before travelling from his Derby home to London, the 51-year-old wrote posts on social media detailing his plan and saying it was to “protest the Islamist government” of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom he claimed “has made Turkey a base for radical Islamists and is trying to establish a Sharia regime”, the court heard.