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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 racially abused them during their years in education.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, according to their testimonies of his actions as a youth. He commented that the leader's "shifting" denials had been less than credible.

“In his answers to legitimate questions, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a publication.

Further Testimonies Come to Light

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

One, Peter Ettedgui, described that a 13-year-old Farage "came up to me and utter: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, occasionally including a long hiss to imitate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

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

“He walked up to a pupil accompanied by two similarly tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the individual said. “That happened to me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

After the story broke, more people have emerged; approximately twenty people have now stated they were either targets of or witnesses to highly inappropriate conduct by Farage.

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

Changing Stories

The Reform leader has disputed that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the individuals were not telling the truth.

Critics have noted that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his denials.

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

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

He added: “Claiming that two dozen individuals have all recalled incorrectly the same things about his offensive behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Question of Character

“If he wants to be seen as a legitimate candidate for the top job, he must confront the fears of the Jewish people, and apologise to the those he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Bigotry in all its forms is anathema to the principles of this country and we must not permit it to ever become legitimised in society.”

In a separate interview, a senior politician said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to look like a genuine leader.

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

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In legal letters prior to the release of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers stated that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever engaged in, approved of, or led this behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later altered his position in an interview, saying: “Did I say things decades ago that you could interpret as being banter, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in a certain manner? Perhaps.”

He added that he had “not once intentionally really tried to go and hurt anybody”. Farage afterwards put out a further comment: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been published as a 13-year-old, so long ago.”