Attorney General Demands Nigel Farage to Apologise Over Alleged Racism and Antisemitism.

The United Kingdom's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has called on Nigel Farage to issue an apology to school contemporaries who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their years in education.

Hermer said that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their descriptions of his actions as a youth. He added that the leader's "constantly changing" explanations had been unconvincing.

“Throughout his answers to legitimate questions, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a news outlet.

Fresh Claims Surface

A recent investigation last month detailed the testimony of several former classmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a teenage Farage "came up to me and growl: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, sometimes adding a long hiss to mimic the sound of the gas showers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil alleged that when he was about nine, he was subjected to similar treatment by a older Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil accompanied by two similarly tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘other’,” the former student said. “That included me on three separate times; asking me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to wherever you answered you were from.”

After the story broke, more people have come forward; approximately twenty people have now stated they were either victims of or saw hurtful actions by Farage.

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

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 misremembering.

Observers have highlighted that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his statements.

They also cite his inability to discipline a party member, a MP, after she complained about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts. She later expressed regret for the statements.

“Nigel Farage’s evolving narrative about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He added: “Suggesting that two dozen individuals have all forgotten the same things about his nasty behaviour simply is not believable."

Question of Character

“If he wishes to be seen as a serious contender for the top job, he must address the concerns of the Jewish community, and apologise to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Prejudice in all its forms is abhorrent to the standards of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become accepted in public life.”

In a different discussion, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to appear as a true statesman.

“It says a lot how little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would recognise as being crafted in a particular way to communicate, but also dodge the issue,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In lawyers' communications before the release of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers claimed that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever was involved in, approved of, or led this behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later altered his position in an appearance, saying: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could interpret as being playground talk, you could interpret in a modern light today in some sort of way? Perhaps.”

He commented that he had “never directly attempted to go and harm anybody”. Farage later released a new statement: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been published when I was 13, nearly 50 years ago.”