Attorney General Calls On Nigel Farage to Apologise Over Reported Racism and Antisemitism.

The UK's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has urged Nigel Farage to apologise to former schoolmates who assert he racially abused them during their time at school.

Hermer stated that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their accounts of his alleged conduct. He commented that the politician's "evolving" denials had been unconvincing.

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

New Allegations Surface

A recent investigation last month documented the statements of more than a dozen former classmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, Peter Ettedgui, said that a 13-year-old Farage "would approach me and growl: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, occasionally including a long hiss to imitate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another student of colour alleged that when he was roughly nine years old, he was singled out by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil flanked by two tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘different’,” the former student said. “That included me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”

Following the initial report, additional individuals have emerged; about 20 people have now alleged they were either targets of or observed highly inappropriate past behaviour by Farage.

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

Changing Stories

The political figure has disputed that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the former classmates were being untruthful.

Observers have noted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his responses.

They also point to his reluctance to sanction a colleague in his party, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later expressed regret for the remarks.

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

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

Demand for Accountability

“If he wishes to be seen as a serious contender for the top job, he urgently needs address the anxieties of the Jewish people, and apologise to the those he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Racism in all its forms is abhorrent to the values of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become normalised in public life.”

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

“It is very telling how little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would identify as being written in a certain style to communicate, but also avoid saying certain things,” she remarked.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In lawyers' communications prior to the publication of the report, Farage’s lawyers asserted that “the implication that Mr Farage ever was involved in, condoned, or led such conduct is categorically denied”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his position in an discussion, stating: “Did I say things decades ago that you could view as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a today's standards today in a certain manner? Possibly.”

He added that he had “never directly sought to go and upset anybody”. Farage later issued a fresh denial: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been published when I was 13, nearly 50 years ago.”