🔗 Share this article

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

Hermer said that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their descriptions of his actions as a youth. He commented that the leader's "constantly changing" explanations had been less than credible.

“During his answers to valid inquiries, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a news outlet.

New Allegations Emerge

A recent investigation last month documented the testimony of over a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a private college.

One, a former pupil, said that a 13-year-old Farage "came up to me and utter: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, occasionally including a long hiss to mimic the sound of the gas showers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority alleged that when he was about nine, he was singled out by a older Farage.

“He approached a pupil flanked by two similarly tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘other’,” the individual 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.”

Since then, others have stepped forward; about 20 people have now stated they were either subject to or saw highly inappropriate conduct by Farage.

The behaviour they described span the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Changing Stories

The political figure has rejected that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the accusers were being untruthful.

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

They also point to his failure to sanction a party member, a MP, after she expressed views about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in television commercials. She later apologised for the comments.

“Nigel Farage’s evolving narrative about his behaviour to his peers [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer said.

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

Call for Leadership

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

“Racism in all its forms is completely opposed to the standards of this country and we must not permit it to ever become accepted in society.”

In a other comments, a senior politician said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to look like a real leader.

“It says a lot how little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would understand as being drafted in a certain style to say something, but also dodge the issue,” she noted.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In formal correspondence before the release of the investigation, Farage’s legal team claimed that “the implication that Mr Farage ever took part in, condoned, or led such conduct is completely refuted”.

Farage later altered his stance in an interview, stating: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could view as being playground talk, you could interpret in a modern light today in some way? Possibly.”

He commented that he had “never directly attempted to go and hurt anybody”. Farage afterwards issued a fresh denial: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been reported as a 13-year-old, so long ago.”