Top Law Officer Urges Nigel Farage to Say Sorry Over Claimed Antisemitic and Racist Behaviour.

The United Kingdom's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has called on the Reform UK leader to apologise to former schoolmates who assert he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, according to their testimonies of his past behaviour. He commented that the leader's "evolving" explanations had been difficult to believe.

“Throughout his defensive responses to valid inquiries, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a publication.

New Allegations Come to Light

A published report last month outlined the statements of over a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, a former pupil, said that a teenage Farage "came up to me and say: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, sometimes adding a long hiss to simulate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil stated that when he was roughly nine years old, he was subjected to similar treatment by a older Farage.

“He approached a pupil accompanied by two similarly tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the person said. “That included me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

Since then, others have emerged; around two dozen people have now alleged they were either victims of or observed hurtful conduct by Farage.

The behaviour they recounted cover the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Denials and Shifting Positions

The Reform leader has denied that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the former classmates were being untruthful.

Critics have noted that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his responses.

They also cite his inability to reprimand a colleague in his party, a MP, after she expressed views about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the comments.

“Nigel Farage’s constantly changing story about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He continued: “Arguing that two dozen individuals have somehow forgotten the same things about his offensive behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Question of Character

“If he wants to be seen as a serious contender for high office, he urgently needs address the concerns of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the numerous individuals he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Racism in all its forms is abhorrent to the standards of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become legitimised in society.”

In a different discussion, a senior politician said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to appear as a true statesman.

“It says a lot how little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would understand as being written in a certain style to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she said.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In lawyers' communications prior to the publication of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers asserted that “the implication that Mr Farage ever took part in, approved of, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later appeared to change his position in an interview, stating: “Did I say things decades ago that you could see as being banter, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some sort of way? Yes.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally really tried to go and upset anybody”. Farage afterwards released a new statement: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been published when I was 13, so long ago.”