7 days ago
EXCLUSIVE Man convicted of burning Koran and shouting 'f*** islam' outside Turkish embassy admits he is 'very worried' that he may now end up being killed
A man who was convicted of a public order offence for burning a copy of the Koran outside the Turkish consulate while shouting 'f*** Islam' says he has received 'hundreds' of death threats since his protest and is 'afraid of being killed'.
Hamit Coskun, 50, was ordered to pay £240 and a statutory £96 surcharge on Monday after screaming 'Koran is burning' and 'Islam is religion of terrorism' while holding a flaming copy of the religious Islamic text above his head, in a controversial demonstration earlier this year.
During his protest - which took place on February 13 in Knightsbridge - he was attacked by a man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, who was allegedly holding a knife.
The man then spat at and kicked Mr Coskun.
Two days later on February 15 Mr Coskun's home was broken into by two Iraqi men who threatened him with an ashtray and a knife.
Following this, Mr Coskun was placed under police protection for two days and was then forced to flee the city he was living in.
Since then Mr Coskun has received scores of abusive messages and death threats which have left him fearing for his life.
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, Turkish born Mr Coskun, who is half Armenian and half Kurdish, said: 'My social media accounts and phonebook are full of death threats from [people based in] cities like London and Birmingham.
Hamit Coskun leaving Westminster Magistrates' Court, central London, where he was sentenced to a £240 fine, with a statutory surcharge of £96 after he was found guilty of a religiously aggravated public order offence of using disorderly behaviour when a Koran was burnt outside the Turkish consulate in London on February 13
'Like everyone else, I am afraid of being killed [and] I am very worried because I know that I may face security risks.
'This is the reality of the "religion" we call Islam.
'It does not respect different beliefs and cultures, it does not recognize the right to life.
'But I am not a coward.
'I am ready to pay the price.'
Social media posts sent to Mr Coskun and seen by the Daily Mail include one that states: 'You should sacrifice yourself to Koran. You will die'.
Another says: 'Hail to the courageous man who will make your corpse lie down on the ground.'
Mr Coskun, a committed atheist, was forced to flee his home country of Turkey two and a half years ago. He is currently seeking asylum in the UK.
When asked whether he felt protected in Britain Mr Coskun admitted: 'What really worries and upsets me is the attitude of the police [because] unfortunately, the police don't care.
'After returning from London on February 15, I was attacked by two Iraqi Muslims in Derby.
'Despite being arrested, they were released within a day [so] I had to change my address for security reasons.
'I am not [currently] under police protection and [when] I told them I felt unsafe they said there was nothing they could do.'
Earlier this week politicians, including opposition leader Kemi Badenoch, as well as leading free speech campaigners slammed the conviction of Mr Coskun warning that the ruling was a blasphemy law by the back door.
Defiant, Mr Coskun has said that he plans to appeal the decision - with the help of the National Secular Society [NSS] and the Free Speech Union [FSU] who are covering his legal fees.
He said: 'I am grateful to the NSS and FSU, who have stood by me on this issue and have supported me unconditionally.
'The court ruling is an unjust decision. The ruling will only please and satisfy Islamists. They are trying to clamp down on freedom of expression.'
'I am an activist. I criticize Islam. I think that Islam poses a threat to the whole world.
'[While protesting] I remain within democratic measures.
'I do not interfere with anyone. This is my democratic right [and] I will continue my struggle.
'This does not necessarily mean burning the Quran [but] I will use my right to protest wherever Islamists pose a threat.
'I do not intend to harm or disturb anyone. I am trying to raise awareness in society about the concept of Islamic invasion and threat.'
