Top Law Officer Calls On Nigel Farage to Apologise Over Alleged Racism and Antisemitism.

The United Kingdom's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has urged Nigel Farage to apologise to former schoolmates who claim he racially abused them during their school days.

Hermer stated that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, judging by their testimonies of his alleged conduct. He added that the politician's "evolving" denials had been difficult to believe.

“During his defensive responses to legitimate questions, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a news outlet.

New Allegations Come to Light

A series of inquiries last month documented the accounts of over a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, Peter Ettedgui, said that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and growl: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, occasionally including a long hiss to mimic the sound of the gas showers”.

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

“He came over to a pupil flanked by two equally tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘different’,” the former student said. “That happened to me on three separate times; asking me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you replied you were from.”

After the story broke, additional individuals have stepped forward; approximately twenty people have now stated they were either victims of or observed deeply offensive past behaviour by Farage.

The alleged events they described span the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Changing Stories

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

Critics have pointed out that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his denials.

They also point to his reluctance to sanction a party member, a MP, after she made remarks about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later said sorry for the remarks.

“His constantly changing story about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He went on to say: “Arguing that a group of people have all forgotten the same things about his nasty behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Question of Character

“If he wants to be seen as a legitimate candidate for the top job, he urgently needs acknowledge the anxieties of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Prejudice in all its forms is anathema to the standards of this country and we must not permit it to ever become accepted in public life.”

In a other comments, the Chancellor said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to be considered a real leader.

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

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence prior to the release of the report, Farage’s lawyers stated that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever took part in, supported, or led such conduct is categorically denied”.

Farage later altered his explanation in an discussion, remarking: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could interpret as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in a certain manner? Yes.”

He commented that he had “never directly really tried to go and harm anybody”. Farage subsequently put out a new statement: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been published aged 13, nearly 50 years ago.”