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

Hermer remarked that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their testimonies of his alleged conduct. He added that the leader's "evolving" explanations had been difficult to believe.

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

Fresh Claims Come to Light

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

One, Peter Ettedgui, said that a 13-year-old Farage "came up to me and growl: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, occasionally including a long hiss to mimic the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

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

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

Since then, additional individuals have come forward; about 20 people have now alleged they were either targets of or saw hurtful conduct by Farage.

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

Evolving Explanations

The Reform leader has rejected that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the accusers were not telling the truth.

Commentators have highlighted that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his statements.

They also point to his failure to sanction a colleague in his party, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the comments.

“His shifting account about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He went on to say: “Suggesting that a group of people have somehow recalled incorrectly the same things about his offensive behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Question of Character

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

“Prejudice in all its forms is abhorrent 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 “make a statement” if he wanted to be considered a real leader.

“It is very telling how very little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would understand as being drafted in a particular way to say something, but also not to say something,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In legal letters before the publication of the investigation, Farage’s legal team stated that “the implication that Mr Farage ever took part in, approved of, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later appeared to change his explanation in an appearance, remarking: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could see as being playground talk, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some sort of way? Yes.”

He added that he had “not once intentionally really tried to go and harm anybody”. Farage subsequently released a new statement: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been published as a 13-year-old, decades in the past.”