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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 issue an apology to school contemporaries who claim he racially abused them during their years in education.

Hermer said that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, according to their testimonies of his alleged conduct. He added that the leader's "evolving" explanations had been difficult to believe.

“During his defensive responses to legitimate questions, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a publication.

Further Testimonies Come to Light

A series of inquiries last month documented the accounts of more than a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a private college.

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

Another minority ethnic pupil 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 addressed anyone looking ‘other’,” the individual said. “That involved me on three separate times; questioning me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to wherever you answered you were from.”

Following the initial report, additional individuals have stepped forward; approximately twenty people have now claimed they were either victims of or observed hurtful conduct by Farage.

The behaviour they described cover the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Changing Stories

The political figure has disputed that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the former classmates were misremembering.

Commentators have pointed out that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his denials.

They also cite his reluctance to sanction a fellow Reform MP, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later expressed regret for the comments.

“Nigel Farage’s shifting account about his behaviour to his peers [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He added: “Claiming that 20 people have somehow forgotten the same things about his nasty behaviour simply is not believable."

Question of Character

“If he wishes to be seen as a legitimate candidate for prime minister, he urgently needs acknowledge the fears of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the those he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Racism in all its forms is completely opposed to the principles of this country and we must not permit it to ever become normalised in society.”

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

“It says a lot how very little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would understand as being drafted in a specific manner to communicate, but also dodge the issue,” she noted.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In formal correspondence prior to the publication of the report, Farage’s legal team stated that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever was involved in, approved of, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later altered his explanation in an interview, saying: “Have I said things as a youth that you could view as being playground talk, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some way? Perhaps.”

He added that he had “never directly sought to go and upset anybody”. Farage later released a new statement: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been published aged 13, so long ago.”