Top Law Officer Urges Nigel Farage to Apologise Over Claimed Racism and Antisemitism.

The United Kingdom's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has demanded the Reform UK leader to apologise to school contemporaries who claim he racially abused them during their school days.

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

“Throughout his replies to legitimate questions, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a news outlet.

Fresh Claims Surface

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

One, Peter Ettedgui, recalled that a 13-year-old Farage "would approach me and say: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, sometimes adding a long hiss to mimic the sound of the gas showers”.

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

“He approached a pupil with two equally tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘other’,” the individual said. “That included me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you answered you were from.”

After the story broke, additional individuals have stepped forward; around two dozen people have now claimed they were either subject to or observed highly inappropriate conduct by Farage.

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

Denials and Shifting Positions

The political figure has denied that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the former classmates were misremembering.

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

They also cite his reluctance to sanction a party member, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of black and brown people she saw in television commercials. She later said sorry for the comments.

“His constantly changing story about his behaviour to his peers [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He went on to say: “Suggesting that a group of people have all recalled incorrectly the same things about his nasty behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Question of Character

“If he wants to be seen as a credible figure for high office, he urgently needs acknowledge the fears of the Jewish people, and apologise to the many people he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Prejudice in all its forms is abhorrent to the principles of this country and we must not permit it to ever become accepted in society.”

In a other comments, a senior politician said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to be considered a true statesman.

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would understand as being drafted in a certain style to communicate, but also dodge the issue,” she noted.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In lawyers' communications before the publication of the investigation, Farage’s representatives stated that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever took part in, supported, or led such conduct is strongly rejected”.

Farage later altered his explanation in an appearance, stating: “Did I say things decades ago that you could see as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in a certain manner? Yes.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally really tried to go and harm anybody”. Farage afterwards put out a further comment: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been reported when I was 13, so long ago.”