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The United Kingdom's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has demanded the Reform UK leader to apologise to former schoolmates who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

Hermer stated that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, judging by their accounts of his alleged conduct. He noted that the politician's "evolving" explanations had been unconvincing.

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

New Allegations Emerge

A published report last month documented the testimony of over a dozen former classmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, Peter Ettedgui, described 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 simulate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil claimed that when he was about nine, he was subjected to similar treatment by a older Farage.

“He came over to a pupil with two tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the person said. “That happened to me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

Following the initial report, additional individuals have stepped forward; about 20 people have now alleged they were either targets of or saw deeply offensive conduct by Farage.

The incidents they recounted cover the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Changing Stories

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

Commentators have pointed out that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his statements.

They also point to his reluctance to discipline a fellow Reform MP, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts. She later said sorry for the statements.

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

He continued: “Arguing that two dozen individuals have all recalled incorrectly the same things about his offensive behaviour simply is not believable."

Call for Leadership

“If he aspires to be seen as a serious contender for the top job, he urgently needs confront the fears of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Bigotry in all its forms is anathema to the standards of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become normalised in public life.”

In a separate interview, a senior politician 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 recognise as being crafted in a specific manner to communicate, but also dodge the issue,” she noted.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In formal correspondence prior to the release of the report, Farage’s lawyers claimed that “the implication that Mr Farage ever took part in, approved of, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later appeared to change his explanation in an appearance, remarking: “Did I say things decades ago that you could view as being banter, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some way? Perhaps.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally really tried to go and harm anybody”. Farage subsequently issued a fresh denial: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been printed aged 13, nearly 50 years ago.”