Holocaust denier handed second arrest warrant during extradition hearing

Vincent Reynouard, 54, was given the document while in the dock at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday.

Vincent Reynouard appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court (Jane Barlow/PA) (PA Wire)

A prolific Holocaust denier who is wanted by authorities in France has been handed a second warrant for his arrest in court.

Vincent Reynouard, 54, was handed the warrant as he sat in the dock at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday, where he appeared for the latest stage in his extradition battle.

The Frenchman was convicted under anti-Nazi laws across the Channel and handed a four-month jail term in November 2020, and a further six months in January 2021.

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

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

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

Advocate depute Paul Harvey KC told the hearing French authorities had made an error in their application for the first warrant, and Mr Dunne said it therefore resulted in a change of focus for their argument against that extradition request.

The court has previously been told of a YouTube video which had been uploaded, which has two French speakers talking over it. But on Thursday, the court was told this has yet to be translated by French authorities.

Sheriff Campbell told Reynouard: “You have now been served with this fresh warrant and you understand the general nature of the charges.”

During the 23-minute hearing, there was no application for bail and Reynouard has been held on remand.

A preliminary hearing has been fixed for April 20, with his full extradition hearing scheduled for June 8.

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

His latest conviction was in relation to a series of antisemitic posts on social media.