🔗 Share this article

The United Kingdom's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has urged Nigel Farage to apologise to former schoolmates who claim he racially abused them during their school days.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, judging by their descriptions of his alleged conduct. He commented that the politician's "constantly changing" explanations had been unconvincing.

“In his replies to valid inquiries, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a publication.

New Allegations Surface

A published report last month documented the accounts of several former classmates of Farage from a private college.

One, a former pupil, described that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and say: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, at times making a long hiss to simulate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil stated that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a older Farage.

“He approached a pupil with two similarly tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘other’,” the individual said. “That involved me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you replied you were from.”

Following the initial report, more people have come forward; approximately twenty people have now alleged they were either subject to or observed hurtful conduct by Farage.

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

Evolving Explanations

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

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

They also point to his inability to discipline a colleague in his party, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later expressed regret for the statements.

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

He continued: “Suggesting that two dozen individuals have somehow recalled incorrectly the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Question of Character

“If he wants to be seen as a serious contender for the top job, he must confront the anxieties of the Jewish people, and apologise to the those he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Racism in all its forms is abhorrent to the principles of this country and we should not let it to ever become accepted in society.”

In a different discussion, the Chancellor said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to appear as a genuine leader.

“It says a lot how little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would understand as being written in a particular way to communicate, but also not to say something,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In lawyers' communications before the release of the report, Farage’s lawyers stated that “the implication that Mr Farage ever was involved in, supported, or led such conduct is strongly rejected”.

Farage later appeared to change his explanation in an interview, stating: “Did I say things decades ago that you could see as being playground talk, you could interpret in a modern light today in some sort of way? Yes.”

He said that he had “not ever purposely sought to go and hurt anybody”. Farage later put out a fresh denial: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been published aged 13, so long ago.”