Holocaust denier Vincent Reynouard faces 12-month jail sentence in France

Vincent Reynouard, a Holocaust denier originally from France, has been sentenced to 12 months in prison after being extradited from Scotland. Authorities in Paris extradited him for charges related to inciting hatred and denying the occurrence of the Holocaust. He lived in Anstruther, Fife, under a false name and worked as an online tutor while evading capture. His arrest in November 2022 followed years on the run from French authorities. In addition to his prison sentence, Reynouard was ordered to pay damages and found guilty of various offenses related to Holocaust denial and inciting racial hatred. The events leading to this conviction were marked by Reynouard’s continuous dissemination of videos where he denied the existence of gas chambers in concentration camps and trivialized Nazi war crimes. French courts had issued a warrant for his arrest after he posted these videos online, which included claims that the Holocaust was fabricated and that the atrocities committed by the Nazis were exaggerated. His statements were characterized by hate speech that targeted Jewish communities and others persecuted during the Holocaust. Upon his extradition, the judge in Paris noted that Reynouard's actions were not merely personal beliefs; they represented a serious crime with societal implications. The judge emphasized that denying the Holocaust is a profound insult to the memory of those who perished and is categorized as antisemitic racism. Although holding such views is not criminal, communicating them publicly—especially through the internet—violates laws against hate speech in France. Reynouard's history of convictions, dating back to 1991, accentuates a persistent pattern of behavior aimed at undermining historical truths about the Holocaust. His advocacy for Nazi ideology, including comments that sought to rehabilitate Adolf Hitler, has drawn widespread condemnation. The legal actions against him underscore a significant societal stance against Holocaust denial, particularly in Europe, where laws are stringent regarding hate speech and historical revisionism.