The Trump administration is reportedly looking into the case of a protester fined for burning a Koran outside the Turkish consulate in London. British prosecutors are trying to reinstate an overturned conviction in this matter.
If the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) succeeds in its appeal, they may provide refugee status to Hamit Coskun, a 51-year-old man. An official from the US government indicated that this incident has become a point of interest for the administration.
Coskun, of Armenian-Kurdish descent, had sought asylum in the UK from Turkey, claiming that his family’s life was ravaged by Islamic extremists, leading to his imprisonment for protesting against Islamist rule.
On February 13, 2025, he set fire to a copy of the Quran outside the consulate, shouting slogans like “Islam is Islam” and “Religion of Terror.” During the incident, he faced a violent reaction from a bystander, Moussa Qadri, who attacked him and brandished a knife. Qadri was subsequently convicted of assault and was given a suspended prison sentence.
Coskun initially faced charges related to public order offenses, but his case attracted attention from groups like the National Secular Society and the Free Speech Coalition. They argued that the prosecution appeared to be reinstating a blasphemy law that had been repealed in 2008.
Coskun was fined in June 2025 for a public order offense aggravated by religion. However, by October of the same year, his conviction was overturned. The judge asserted that while the act of burning the Quran might be deeply distressing to many, freedom of expression must encompass the right to express controversial views.
Currently, the CPS is pursuing the overturning of the judge’s decision in the High Court, prompting Coskun to express concerns about the possibility of having to escape the UK if the appeal does not go in his favor.
In a statement to the media, he said, “As a victim of Islamic terrorism, I cannot remain silent. I may need to flee to the United States, where freedom of speech is valued.” He further added that if that were to happen, it would mean that Britain had succumbed to an Islamist influence over speech norms.
Both President Trump and government authorities have criticized the increasing restrictions on speech in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. At a recent conference, Vice President J.D. Vance voiced worry over the perceived decline of freedom of speech across the continent.
In 2025, Trump remarked on the UK’s online speech regulations, noting that “strange things are happening” and labeling it a troubling situation.
