by Dominic Green, The Free Press
A ‘threatening, abusive, or insulting’ post can lead to a longer prison sentence than pedophilia convictions.
On Monday, Britain sentenced Hamit Coskun, 51, to pay £240 (roughly $325) for burning a copy of the Quran and shouting “Islam is religion of terrorism” outside the Turkish embassy in London.
Coskun’s behavior was obnoxious, but not illegal: Britain abolished its blasphemy laws in 2008. His case shows that they are returning under the guise of maintaining “public order.” In a tense and divided society, free speech is a luxury that the government cannot afford.
Coskun got off with a fine. Lucy Connolly, prosecuted under the same law, was not so lucky.
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Street celebrations of Hamas’s massacre began on the night of October 7, 2023. The police struggle to control weekly anti-Israel rallies by leftists and Islamists that frequently feature incitement such as calls for “jihad” and speech that, the government’s independent reviewer of terrorism said in 2023, might have breached laws against the “glorification of terrorism.” But the police do arrest supporters of Israel for the wrong kind of speech.
In September 2024, London police arrested a man for bringing a satirical cartoon of the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah to a pro-Palestinian protest near the London home of the Israeli ambassador. Upon being detained, he was asked if he knew that his cartoon would “stir up racial hatred” by offending protesters who supported Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist organization.
On May 24, 2025, London police arrested a man for shouting “God bless Israel” and “Am Yisrael Chai” at pro-Palestinian marchers.
Call for “Death to Israel” in the street, and the police turn a blind eye. Criticize the British government on social media, however, and the police may come to your house and issue an Orwellian warning that you’ve committed a Non-Crime Hate Incident.
The prisons in this country are so full that in July 2024, the Labour government released thousands of prisoners early. On May 13, the Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, announced further plans for the early release of serious offenders. This, she said, will free up more space for incoming offenders.
Yet the British state has room for Lucy Connolly.