Man who burned Koran outside embassy says verdict is 'assault on free speech'
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A man found guilty of burning a Koran outside a Turkish consulate in London has said his conviction is an 'assault on free speech'.
Hamit Coskun, 50, shouted 'f*** Islam' and 'Islam is religion of terrorism' while holding the burning religious text above his head in Knightsbridge in February.
Turkey-born Coskun, who is half-Kurdish and half-Armenian, travelled from his Midlands home to Rutland Gardens on February 13.
Coskun was convicted of a religiously aggravated public order offence today.
He said that the conviction 'will deter others from exercising their democratic rights'.
In a statement issued through the Free Speech Union, he said: 'This decision is an assault on free speech and will deter others from exercising their democratic rights to peaceful protest and freedom of expression. More Trending
'As an activist, I will continue to campaign against the threat of Islam.
'Christian blasphemy laws were repealed in this country more than 15 years ago and it cannot be right to prosecute someone for blaspheming against Islam.
'Would I have been prosecuted if I'd set fire to a copy of the bible outside Westminster Abbey? I doubt it.'
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