A French Holocaust denier who had been living in Scotland after fleeing France two years ago has been arrested by Scottish police.
Vincent Reynouard, 53, who was handed a four-month sentence by a French court in November 2020 and a second six-month term in January 2021, was arrested in Fife on Thursday, the UK Jewish News reported.
Reynouard had lost his license to teach in France’s public education system over repeated Holocaust denials.
Reynouard was convicted in France multiple times under its law making Holocaust denial a crime. His recent charges stemmed from antisemitic content he posted to social media.
Scottish police said that a 53-year old male was arrested in Fife on a French warrant and that he made an appearance at the Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday.
According to French media reports, he had been living under a false identity in Scotland where he was working as a private tutor.
Campaign Against Antisemitism described Reynouard as a “despicable Holocaust denier who has repeatedly been convicted by French courts,” noting he was first convicted for Holocaust denial in 1991 for leaflets claiming that gas chambers did not exist at concentration camps.
A Campaign Against Antisemitism spokesperson told the news outlet, “For him to have evaded justice, only to settle in the UK as a private tutor teaching children, is intolerable, which is why we worked with French Jewish organizations to secure his extradition so that he faces the consequences of his abhorrent incitement.”