Top Law Officer Demands Reform UK Leader to Apologise Over Claimed Racism and Antisemitism.

The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has demanded Nigel Farage to apologise to school contemporaries who allege he racially abused them during their time at school.

Hermer stated that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, judging by their testimonies of his actions as a youth. He commented that the leader's "shifting" explanations had been unconvincing.

“Throughout his answers to valid inquiries, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a news outlet.

Fresh Claims Come to Light

A series of inquiries last month documented the testimony of several ex-pupils of Farage from a private college.

One, Peter Ettedgui, said that a teenage Farage "would approach me and utter: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, occasionally including a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil stated that when he was roughly nine years old, he was subjected to similar treatment by a older Farage.

“He approached a pupil with two similarly tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the person said. “That happened to me on three occasions; questioning me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

Since then, additional individuals have stepped forward; around two dozen people have now claimed they were either victims of or saw deeply offensive past behaviour by Farage.

The alleged events they outlined cover the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Changing Stories

The Reform leader has rejected that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the individuals were being untruthful.

Critics have highlighted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his statements.

They also cite his failure to reprimand a party member, Sarah Pochin, after she expressed views about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in television commercials. She later apologised for the remarks.

“Nigel Farage’s shifting account about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He continued: “Suggesting that a group of people have somehow forgotten the same things about his offensive behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Question of Character

“If he aspires to be seen as a credible figure for prime minister, he has to confront the concerns of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the numerous individuals he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Racism in all its forms is anathema to the standards of this country and we should not let it to ever become normalised in public life.”

In a different discussion, a senior politician said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to be considered a real leader.

“It says a lot how very little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would identify as being drafted in a certain style to say something, but also not to say something,” she noted.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In legal letters before the publication of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers stated that “the implication that Mr Farage ever took part in, supported, or led such conduct is categorically denied”.

Farage later appeared to change his position in an interview, saying: “Did I say things decades ago that you could interpret as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a today's standards today in a certain manner? Possibly.”

He said that he had “not ever purposely attempted to go and hurt anybody”. Farage subsequently released a new statement: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been printed as a 13-year-old, nearly 50 years ago.”