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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 time at school.

Hermer stated that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, according to their descriptions of his alleged conduct. He noted that the politician's "shifting" denials had been unconvincing.

“Throughout his replies to legitimate questions, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a publication.

Further Testimonies Emerge

A published report last month outlined the accounts of over a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from a private college.

One, a former pupil, said that a teenage Farage "came up to me and utter: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, sometimes adding a long hiss to mimic the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

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

“He came over to a pupil flanked by two similarly tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘other’,” the person said. “That happened to me on three occasions; inquiring where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”

After the story broke, additional individuals have stepped forward; around two dozen people have now alleged they were either subject to or witnesses to deeply offensive actions by Farage.

The behaviour they recounted span 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 claimed the individuals were not telling the truth.

Critics have highlighted that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his responses.

They also reference his failure to sanction a party member, a MP, after she complained about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the comments.

“Nigel Farage’s shifting account about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He added: “Claiming that two dozen individuals have somehow misremembered the same things about his offensive behaviour simply is not believable."

Call for Leadership

“If he wants to be seen as a serious contender for the top job, he urgently needs confront the fears of the Jewish people, and apologise to the many people he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Racism in all its forms is anathema to the values 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 “speak out” if he wanted to appear as a real leader.

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

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In legal letters before the release of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers stated that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever was involved in, supported, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later altered his position in an interview, stating: “Did I say things 50 years ago that you could interpret as being playground talk, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some sort of way? Possibly.”

He commented that he had “never directly sought to go and upset anybody”. Farage afterwards issued a fresh denial: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been printed aged 13, so long ago.”