Top Law Officer Calls On Nigel Farage to Say Sorry Over Reported Racism and Antisemitism.

The United Kingdom's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has demanded Nigel Farage to issue an apology to school contemporaries who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, judging by their accounts of his past behaviour. He commented that the politician's "constantly changing" statements had been less than credible.

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

Further Testimonies Come to Light

A series of inquiries last month detailed the accounts of several ex-pupils of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, Peter Ettedgui, described that a teenage Farage "would approach me and utter: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, sometimes adding a long hiss to mimic the sound of the gas showers”.

Another student of colour alleged that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He approached a pupil accompanied by two similarly tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘other’,” the person said. “That included me on three separate times; questioning me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to wherever you said you were from.”

After the story broke, more people have emerged; approximately twenty people have now stated they were either subject to or saw highly inappropriate past behaviour by Farage.

The alleged events they described span the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Changing Stories

The political figure has disputed that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the former classmates were misremembering.

Critics have pointed out that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his responses.

They also cite his failure to sanction a party member, Sarah Pochin, after she expressed views about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later expressed regret for the comments.

“Nigel Farage’s shifting account about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He went on to say: “Suggesting that two dozen individuals have all misremembered the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Demand for Accountability

“If he wishes to be seen as a credible figure for the top job, he urgently needs address the fears of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the many people 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 should not let it to ever become accepted in politics.”

In a separate interview, the Chancellor said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to look like a genuine leader.

“It speaks volumes how very little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would understand as being written in a certain style to communicate, but also not to say something,” she noted.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence before the release of the investigation, Farage’s legal team stated that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever took part in, condoned, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later altered his position in an interview, remarking: “Have I said things decades ago that you could see as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a today's standards today in a certain manner? Possibly.”

He commented that he had “not ever purposely sought to go and upset anybody”. Farage later put out a new statement: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been printed as a 13-year-old, so long ago.”