A man in London was convicted of a “religiously aggravated public order offense” after HE was attacked by a triggered radical.
Hamit Coskun, a Kurdish-Armenian asylum seeker, was fined over $300 after burning a Quran outside the Turkish consulate as a protest against Turkey’s Islamist government.
Moussa Kadri attacked Coskun with a knife, knocked him down, and kicked him.
But it is Coskun, the victim of a physical attack, who is being punished.
The Westminster Magistrates’ Court held Coskun responsible, citing the violent reaction as evidence of his guilt.
Judge John McGarva stated, “Burning a religious book, although offensive, to some is not necessarily disorderly.”
“What made his conduct disorderly was the timing and location of the conduct and that all this was accompanied by abusive language. There was no need for him to use the ‘F word’ and direct it towards Islam.”
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) noted the irony of the attacker’s actions being used to convict the victim.
Hellbound and Down 