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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 allege he racially abused them during their years in education.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, based on their accounts of his past behaviour. He added that the leader's "constantly changing" denials had been less than credible.

“In his replies to valid inquiries, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a news outlet.

Fresh Claims Emerge

A series of inquiries last month documented the testimony of several one-time schoolmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a teenage Farage "would approach me and say: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, occasionally including a long hiss to mimic the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

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

“He approached a pupil flanked by two tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the individual said. “That included me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”

After the story broke, more people have come forward; about 20 people have now alleged they were either targets of or observed deeply offensive actions by Farage.

The alleged events they recounted cover 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 asserted the individuals were misremembering.

Commentators have highlighted that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his denials.

They also reference his failure to sanction a party member, a MP, after she complained about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in television commercials. She later said sorry for the statements.

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

He added: “Arguing that a group of people have all misremembered the same things about his nasty behaviour simply is not believable."

Demand for Accountability

“If he wishes to be seen as a legitimate candidate for prime minister, he has to confront the fears of the Jewish people, and apologise to the numerous individuals he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Racism in all its forms is abhorrent to the standards of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become legitimised in society.”

In a different discussion, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to appear as a real leader.

“It says a lot how little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would identify as being crafted in a particular way to say something, but also not to say something,” she said.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In lawyers' communications before the publication of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers asserted that “the implication that Mr Farage ever engaged in, supported, or led this behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later altered his position in an interview, saying: “Have I said things as a youth that you could see as being playground talk, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some way? Perhaps.”

He said that he had “not ever purposely attempted to go and hurt anybody”. Farage subsequently issued a fresh denial: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been printed as a 13-year-old, nearly 50 years ago.”