❓WHAT HAPPENED: A man who attacked a protester for burning the Koran outside the Turkish consulate in London received a suspended sentence instead of prison.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Moussa Kadri, the defendant; Hamit Coskun, the protester and victim; Judge Adam Hiddleston; prosecutors; defense lawyer Greg Unwin; the Turkish consulate in London.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Attack in Rutland Gardens, Knightsbridge, West London; sentencing at Southwark Crown Court.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Use of blades is a curse on our community.” – Judge Adam Hiddleston
🎯IMPACT: Kadri’s suspended sentence further increases the sense of a two-tier justice in the United Kingdom, contrasting sharply with the draconian prison terms handed down to social media users and non-violent protesters who have expressed negative sentiments about immigration and Islam in recent months.
A Muslim man who attacked a protester for burning the Koran outside the Turkish consulate in London, England, has been spared prison, prompting renewed debate over the consistency of policing and sentencing in Britain. Moussa Kadri, who slashed protester Hamit Coskun with a knife after he burned the Islamic holy book, received a 20-week prison sentence suspended for 18 months at Southwark Crown Court. He must also complete 150 hours of unpaid work and 10 days of rehabilitation.
The court heard that Coskun, during a protest in Knightsbridge, West London, shouted, “F**k Islam,” “Islam is religion of terrorism,” and “Koran is burning,” while holding a flaming Koran. Kadri angrily confronted him, calling him a “f**king idiot” and threatening, “I’m going to kill you” before slashing him with a knife. As Coskun stumbled to the ground, Kadri spat on and kicked him. He later told police: “Burning the Koran? It’s my religion, you don’t burn the Koran. I protect my religion.”
Judge Adam Hiddleston called Kadri’s actions “disgraceful” and added, “Use of blades is a curse on our community,” but stressed the emotional nature of his reaction by way of justification for it. Kadri’s defense lawyer, Greg Unwin, had said the act was a spontaneous reaction to what Kadri saw as a deeply offensive attack on his faith.
Notably, the victim was also prosecuted and convicted of “religiously aggravated disorderly conduct,” with prosecutors initially citing harassment of the “religious institution of Islam”—effectively a blasphemy charge.
We live in an open air asylum.. thanks Islam 👍🙄 pic.twitter.com/GEd9MVUzTZ
— Britishcrumpetbutter (@CrumpetButter1) February 14, 2025
The sentence comes at a time when other cases involving hostility toward Islam have resulted in much harsher outcomes. In a recent case, Nathan Poole was jailed for 30 months after shouting “Who the f**k is Allah?” during an anti-immigration protest outside a mosque in Stoke-on-Trent. Judge Richard McConaghy said the chants were clearly motivated by hostility towards Islam, and that the mosque setting amplified the offense.
These contrasting outcomes have fueled accusations of two-tier policing and sentencing in the United Kingdom. Critics point to a 2024 incident where police were filmed asking a group of armed Muslim men to leave their weapons at a mosque to avoid arrest, while anti-immigration protesters were being aggressively confronted and arrested by riot squads.
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