A man who was fined for burning a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish consulate in London has won his appeal against his conviction.
Hamit Coskun, 51, shouted abusive comments about Islam as he held the flaming book aloft in Rutland Gardens, Knightsbridge, on 13 February.
In June, he was found guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court of a religiously aggravated public order offence and fined £240.
At Southwark Crown Court on Friday, Mr Justice Bennathan said that while burning a Quran might be something “many Muslims find desperately upsetting and offensive”, the right to freedom of expression “must include the right to express views that offend, shock or disturb”.
