Top Law Officer Calls On Nigel Farage to Apologise Over Alleged Racism and Antisemitism.

The United Kingdom's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has urged the Reform UK leader to apologise to former schoolmates who claim he racially abused them during their years in education.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their descriptions of his actions as a youth. He commented that the politician's "evolving" statements had been less than credible.

“During his defensive responses to valid inquiries, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a publication.

Fresh Claims Come to Light

A published report last month documented the statements of more than a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a 13-year-old Farage "would approach me and growl: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, sometimes adding a long hiss to simulate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil stated that when he was about nine, 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 former student said. “That happened to me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you answered you were from.”

Since then, additional individuals have emerged; about 20 people have now claimed they were either subject to or witnesses to hurtful conduct by Farage.

The behaviour they described relate to the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Denials and Shifting Positions

The Reform leader has disputed that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the former classmates were being untruthful.

Critics have highlighted that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his responses.

They also reference his failure to reprimand a fellow Reform MP, Sarah Pochin, after she expressed views about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in television commercials. She later apologised for the comments.

“His evolving narrative about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer said.

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

Call for Leadership

“If he wants to be seen as a serious contender for the top job, he urgently needs acknowledge the fears of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the those he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Bigotry in all its forms is abhorrent to the standards of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become accepted in public life.”

In a separate interview, the Chancellor said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to be considered 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 written in a particular way to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In legal letters before the release of the report, Farage’s legal team asserted that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever was involved in, condoned, or led this behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later altered his explanation in an appearance, remarking: “Did I say things as a youth that you could see as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in a certain manner? Yes.”

He added that he had “never directly attempted to go and hurt anybody”. Farage afterwards released a new statement: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been published when I was 13, so long ago.”