Vincent Reynouard: Holocaust denier receives second arrest warrant

The arrest warrant was handed to Vincent Reynouard, 54, while he was in the dock at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday, where he appeared for the final phase of his extradition fight.

Convicted under anti-Nazi laws across the Channel, the Frenchman was sentenced to four months in prison in November 2020 and a further six months in January 2021.

After Reynouard was served with the new search warrant in French and English, his lawyer Paul Dunne told him: “Take your time and read it so that you understand the nature of the crimes committed against you.”

READ MORE: Why a Holocaust denier ended up living quietly in an East Neuk village

Mr Dunne told Sheriff Kenneth Campbell it was “far from ideal” for his client to be served a copy in the dock, but that Reynouard “understood the charge”.

Mr Dunne said: “He does not consent to his extradition to France.”

Vincent Reynouard (Image: Campaign Against Anti-Semitism)

Assistant Counsel Paul Harvey KC told the hearing that the French authorities had made a mistake in their application for the first arrest warrant and Mr Dunne said it had therefore shifted the focus of their arguments against that extradition request.

The court was previously told of an uploaded YouTube video showing two French speakers talking. But on Thursday the court was told that this has yet to be translated by French authorities.

Sheriff Campbell told Reynouard: “You have now received this new warrant and understand the general nature of the charges.”

No bail request was made during the 23-minute hearing and Reynouard is being held in custody.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 20 and his full extradition hearing is scheduled for June 8.

Holocaust denial has been a criminal offense in France since 1990, and Reynouard has been convicted on multiple occasions.

His latest conviction related to a series of anti-Semitic posts on social media.