A man who burned a Quran outside the Turkish consulate in London has won a controversial blasphemy case, with the Supreme Court upholding his acquittal.

The landmark ruling is seen by some as a firm rejection of any attempts to reintroduce blasphemy laws.

Hamit Coskun, a 51-year-old asylum seeker of Armenian-Kurdish descent from Turkey, was convicted in June 2025 under Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 for religiously motivated public disorder.

The charge stemmed from a personal protest on February 13, 2025, in Rutland Gardens, Knightsbridge, where Coskun set fire to the Islamic text while shouting “F*ck Islam,” “Islam is the religion of terrorism,” and “Quran is burning.”

The ruling was overturned in October 2025 following an appeal.

“There is no crime of blasphemy in our laws. Burning the Quran can be an extremely distressing and offensive act for many Muslims,” the judge noted. “However, criminal law is not a mechanism designed to prevent people from being upset, even in cases of serious distress. The right to freedom of expression, if it is a valuable right, must include the right to express opinions that are offensive, shocking, or disturbing,” he added.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) appealed the acquittal to the Supreme Court.

🚨 BREAKING: A man who burned a Koran in a demonstration outside the Turkish consulate has won a landmark blasphemy case at the High Court.

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The court rejected the appeal, stating: “We are not convinced that the court overlooked any significant factors or relied on any irrelevant factors.”

It added that the lower court’s conclusions were “rationally acceptable to the court,” and while the behaviour could be disruptive and cause harassment, alarm, or distress, it did not constitute a crime if deemed reasonable.

The National Secular Society welcomed the decision. Founded in 1866, the organisation advocates for a “freer, fairer, and more tolerant society.”

A spokesperson for the group stated: “The Supreme Court rightly rejected this misguided attempt to introduce a blasphemy law through the back door. While some found the Quran-burning protest offensive, it was lawful. Criminal law protects people from harm, not from being offended.”

The Free Speech Union demanded the resignation of Chief Prosecutor Stephen Parkinson in light of what they termed a “humiliating defeat.” The Union is a British membership organisation founded in 2020 by journalist Toby Young, advocating for free speech.

Young, the General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, commented: “The Crown Prosecution Service should never have brought this appeal, just as Hamit should never have been charged.”

Humanists UK also welcomed the outcome, noting that blasphemy laws were abolished in England and Wales in 2008, and that the decision reinforces their non-reintroduction. The group is a charity supporting secular humanism and aims to represent non-religious people in the UK.

The organisation has long warned that prosecutions for blasphemy encourage extremism and violence, pointing out that Coskun himself was attacked with a knife during the protest, and the assailant was later not sentenced to prison.

The court confirmed that it would not pursue the case further, with a spokesperson stating: “There is no law under which people can be charged with ‘blasphemy’, and burning religious texts is not a crime in itself.”

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