Holocaust denier in Scotland can be extradited to France

The domestic warrant issued for Mr Reynouard’s arrest revolves around alleged offences linked to online videos, some of which distinctly contain statements that deny the occurrence of the Holocaust.

These offences encompass “public trivialisation of a war crime” and “public challenge to the existence of crimes against humanity committed during the Second World War”.

Sheriff Christopher Dickson, who said that the content of the videos is “beyond the pale of what is tolerable in our society” and “grossly offensive”, approved the extradition.

He said: “I have found that the conduct set out in the accusation warrant constitutes an extradition offence; there are no bars to extradition; the respondent’s extradition would be compatible with the convention rights within the meaning of the Human Rights Act 1998; and the respondent’s extradition would not be disproportionate. In such circumstances I order the respondent to be extradited to France.”

Mr Reynouard, who has been convicted on similar grounds previously and served jail terms in France, was arrested in Scotland last November after eluding French authorities by crossing the Channel.

Sheriff Dickson noted that the offence for which Mr Reynouard had been convicted was denying the existence of a crime against humanity, arising after he released two videos disputing the existence of Auschwitz’s gas chambers and labelling the Holocaust a myth.