🔗 Share this article

The UK's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has urged Nigel Farage to issue an apology to former schoolmates who allege he racially abused them during their years in education.

Hermer stated that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, judging by their descriptions of his past behaviour. He noted that the politician's "constantly changing" explanations had been difficult to believe.

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

New Allegations Surface

A series of inquiries last month detailed the testimony of more than a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, Peter Ettedgui, recalled that a teenage Farage "would approach me and growl: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, sometimes adding a long hiss to simulate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil stated that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil with two similarly tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘other’,” the person said. “That involved me on three separate times; questioning me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you said you were from.”

After the story broke, more people have stepped forward; about 20 people have now stated they were either subject to or observed deeply offensive past behaviour by Farage.

The alleged events they outlined relate to the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Denials and Shifting Positions

The Reform leader has denied that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the former classmates were misremembering.

Critics have noted that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his statements.

They also reference his failure to discipline a colleague in his party, Sarah Pochin, after she expressed views about the number of black and brown people she saw in television commercials. She later expressed regret for the statements.

“His shifting account about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He added: “Suggesting that 20 people have somehow misremembered the same things about his nasty behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Call for Leadership

“If he wants to be seen as a serious contender for the top job, he has to address the concerns of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the numerous individuals he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Prejudice in all its forms is completely opposed to the standards of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become normalised in society.”

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

“It is very telling how little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would identify as being written in a specific manner to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she said.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence before the release of the report, Farage’s legal team stated that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever was involved in, approved of, or led such conduct is completely refuted”.

Farage later appeared to change his position in an interview, remarking: “Did I say things as a youth that you could interpret as being banter, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some sort of way? Possibly.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally really tried to go and hurt anybody”. Farage subsequently issued a new statement: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been printed as a 13-year-old, nearly 50 years ago.”