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The United Kingdom's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has called on Nigel Farage to apologise to former schoolmates who assert he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, based on their testimonies of his actions as a youth. He noted that the politician's "evolving" explanations had been difficult to believe.

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

New Allegations Come to Light

A published report last month detailed the testimony of several ex-pupils of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, a former pupil, described that a 13-year-old Farage "came up to me and say: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, occasionally including 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 similarly targeted by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He came over to a pupil accompanied by two similarly tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘other’,” the person said. “That happened to me on three separate times; asking me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you answered you were from.”

After the story broke, others have come forward; approximately twenty people have now stated they were either victims of or saw highly inappropriate actions by Farage.

The behaviour they recounted span the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Denials and Shifting Positions

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

Commentators have highlighted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his statements.

They also reference his reluctance to reprimand a fellow Reform MP, a MP, after she complained about the number of black and brown people she saw in television commercials. She later said sorry for the statements.

“Nigel Farage’s evolving narrative about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He continued: “Arguing that a group of people have all misremembered the same things about his nasty behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Demand for Accountability

“If he aspires to be seen as a legitimate candidate for the top job, he urgently needs confront the anxieties of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the numerous individuals he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Prejudice in all its forms is anathema to the standards of this country and we must not permit it to ever become legitimised in public life.”

In a different discussion, the Chancellor said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to appear as a true statesman.

“It is very telling how little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would understand as being crafted in a certain style to communicate, but also avoid saying certain things,” she noted.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In formal correspondence prior to the publication of the report, Farage’s lawyers asserted that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever took part in, supported, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later appeared to change his explanation in an interview, remarking: “Have I said things decades ago that you could view as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in a certain manner? Possibly.”

He said that he had “not once intentionally attempted to go and upset anybody”. Farage subsequently released a further comment: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been printed as a 13-year-old, so long ago.”