London Court declares man guilty of public desecration of Holy Quran outside Turkish Consulate

A London court on Tuesday found a man guilty of public disorder after he burned a copy of the Holy Quran outside the Turkish Consulate in the British capital earlier this year.

The Westminster Magistrates’ Court imposed a £240 fine (approximately $325) on the individual for his actions.

The incident occurred in February when the man set fire to a copy of Holy Quran at a public location and later shared footage of the act on social media. The act drew condemnation from various communities and prompted legal action.

During the trial, the court acknowledged that while the act of burning a religious text can be deeply offensive, the ruling was not based on religious blasphemy. Instead, the judgment focused on the accused’s behavior, inflammatory language, specific location of the incident and categorized it as a case of public disorder and provocation.

In his defense, the accused claimed he was protesting against the Turkish government and had been waving a book during the demonstration when someone allegedly attacked him. He argued that the act was a form of political expression rather than religious hate.

However, the judge noted that the man’s use of offensive language, the deliberate association of the act with Islam, and his aggressive conduct constituted disorderly and inciteful behavior in a public space.

The man’s legal counsel argued that prosecuting the case was akin to reviving the blasphemy laws repealed in 2008 but the court dismissed this claim.

It emphasized that the charge was not about insulting religion but rather about maintaining public order and safety.