🔗 Share this article

The United Kingdom's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has urged Nigel Farage to apologise to school contemporaries who assert he racially abused them during their years in education.

Hermer said that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their descriptions of his actions as a youth. He noted that the leader's "shifting" denials had been unconvincing.

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

New Allegations Emerge

A recent investigation last month detailed the accounts of more than a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, Peter Ettedgui, said that a 13-year-old Farage "came up to me and growl: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, at times making a long hiss to imitate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority alleged that when he was about nine, he was similarly targeted by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He approached a pupil accompanied by two tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘other’,” the person said. “That happened to me on three separate times; asking me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to wherever you said you were from.”

After the story broke, additional individuals have emerged; around two dozen people have now claimed they were either subject to or saw highly inappropriate past behaviour by Farage.

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

Changing Stories

The political figure has rejected that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the former classmates were misremembering.

Observers have pointed out that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright 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 apologised for the comments.

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

He went on to say: “Arguing that 20 people have all forgotten the same things about his offensive behaviour simply is not believable."

Demand for Accountability

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

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

In a separate interview, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to appear as a real leader.

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

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence before the publication of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers stated that “the implication that Mr Farage ever engaged in, approved of, or led such conduct is strongly rejected”.

Farage later altered his position in an discussion, stating: “Have I said things as a youth that you could view as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a modern light today in a certain manner? Perhaps.”

He said that he had “never directly really tried 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 as a 13-year-old, nearly 50 years ago.”