Martin Frost burned pages of the Koran and livestreamed it on social media (Picture: JLY/Story Picture Agency)
A man has admitted setting a copy of Islam’s holy book alight and livestreaming it on social media.
Martin Frost ripped pages out of the Koran near the Glade of Light memorial to the 22 victims of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, before setting them on fire.
He publicised it beforehand and streamed it on social media on Saturday, setting the pages alight before dropping them to the ground and stomping on them.
Metro has chosen not to share footage of the book being burned, which is seen as a blasphemous act by Muslims as they consider the Koran to be the literal word of God.
Frost, 47, was arrested shortly afterwards. He appeared at Manchester magistrates court today where he admitted a racially aggravated public order offence.
The court was told the ‘trigger’ for his actions was the death of his daughter in the Israeli conflict. He was also filmed holding an Israel flag before setting pages of the Koran alight.
He set pages of the Koran alight (Picture: JLY/Story Picture Agency)
He also posed with an Israeli flag (Picture: JLY/Story Picture Agency)
Robin Lynch, prosecuting, said Frost was surrounded by a crowd of supporters when he started tearing pages out of the Koran.
A passerby tried to intervene, and Frost shouted: ‘This is what I think of your Koran. Islam has no place in civil society.’
Frost said one of the pages he ripped out of the book ‘talks about paedophilia’, the court heard, and he set it alight before throwing the rest of the book into the nearby river.
The defendant told officers he was demonstrating solidarity with another anti-Islam activist in Sweden, who was recently shot dead during a livestream after burning a Koran in 2023.
A victim impact statement from the person who tried to intervene said: ‘I was quite shocked, disgusted and offended.
‘I’m a Muslim. I still can’t believe someone would do this.
‘When he began to burn the Koran my heart was about to break out. This is the most emotion I have ever felt.’
Zoe Earle, defending Frost, said: ‘He’s extremely distressed at the distress he’s caused others as a result of this. He needs some further help and support.
‘What triggered what happened recently is that his daughter was killed. Her death has had a significant impact on his mental health.
‘His mental health is clearly declining over the last six months.’
The man was quickly arrested (Picture: X)
Frost, of Stretford, Greater Manchester, pleaded guilty to a single charge of racially or religiously aggravated intentional harassment or alarm to Fahad Iqbal, by displaying some writing, sign or other visible representation which was threatening, abusive or insulting thereby causing that or another person harassment, alarm or distress.
The court heard Frost has 20 previous convictions for 47 offences, but nothing of a similar nature to the public order offence on Saturday.
Judge Margaret McCormack asked for a pre-sentence report before passing sentence.
She told Frost, who was in tears while stood in the dock, that she was sorry for the loss of his daughter, but added: ‘The Koran is a sacred book to Muslims and treating it as you did is going to cause extreme distress.
‘This is a tolerant country, but we just do not tolerate this behaviour.’
She bailed Frost on condition he does not post anything further on social media and will pass sentence on April 29.
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