A second man has been charged with a crime after burning a Quran, this time outside the Turkish Embassy in London. Media has reported that the man has been charged with ‘intent to cause against religious institution of Islam, harassment, alarm or distress’, has pleaded not guilty, and is due to appear for trial in May. Humanists UK has expressed shock at the news. England and Wales repealed its blasphemy law in 2008, but it now seems to be returning through other laws.
The man in question burned the Quran on Thursday, reportedly as a protest against the Turkish President, before being assaulted by a second man with a knife. That second man has been charged with causing actual bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon. The Quran-burning incident is similar to another a fortnight ago where a man burned a Quran in Manchester. The Manchester man then pled guilty to a charge of racially or religiously aggravated intentional harassment or alarm against another named individual. The report in this case, that the charge was against the religion itself, is, if accurate, more disturbing, as religions should not be protected under the law.
Both men have been named in the media. Humanists UK is seriously concerned that this endangers their long-term safety and questions whether this was necessary.
A Humanists UK spokesperson said:
‘Burning a religious text should not be a crime. Some people may find this man’s actions deeply distasteful, but the law should protect individuals and not ideas. We have already met and discussed the Manchester case with the UK Government and as a matter of urgency, we will be raising the London case with them as well.
‘It is vital that the law gets this right. We thought it had, but events of the last fortnight make it seem otherwise.’
In a statement to the UN last year, Humanists UK reminded states that blasphemy laws (such as those against damaging religious books) are not compatible with freedom of speech nor the UN Rabat Plan on hate crime. Countries with blasphemy laws typically see much more religious violence of this kind than countries without. Instead, the state has a duty to treat violence and violent threats with the utmost seriousness. Following Denmark’s decision to introduce a Quran-burning blasphemy law and similar calls made in the UK in 2024, Humanists UK received reassurances from Downing Street that no such laws would be introduced here.
Notes:
Read more about our work on repealing blasphemy laws.
Read more about our work on freedom of expression.
Read more about our work combating harassment and incitement.
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