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The United Kingdom's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has called on the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to school contemporaries who allege he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

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" explanations had been difficult to believe.

“Throughout his replies to valid inquiries, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a news outlet.

Further Testimonies Emerge

A series of inquiries last month detailed the accounts of over a dozen former classmates of Farage from a private college.

One, Peter Ettedgui, recalled that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and utter: ‘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 claimed that when he was roughly nine years old, he was singled out by a older Farage.

“He came over to a pupil with two tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘other’,” the individual said. “That happened to me on three separate times; questioning me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to wherever you answered you were from.”

Following the initial report, others have come forward; approximately twenty people have now stated they were either victims of or observed highly inappropriate actions by Farage.

The incidents they described relate to the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Changing Stories

The political figure has rejected that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the individuals were misremembering.

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

They also reference his inability to reprimand a party member, a MP, after she made remarks about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later expressed regret for the remarks.

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

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

Call for Leadership

“If he wants to be seen as a legitimate candidate for the top job, he must acknowledge the concerns of the Jewish people, and apologise to the numerous individuals he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Bigotry in all its forms is completely opposed to the values of this country and we should not let it to ever become accepted in public life.”

In a separate interview, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to appear as a true statesman.

“It says a lot how very little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would recognise as being written in a specific manner to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she noted.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In legal letters prior to the publication of the report, Farage’s lawyers asserted that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever engaged in, supported, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his position in an appearance, remarking: “Did I say things decades ago that you could see as being teenage humour, 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 upset anybody”. Farage later put out a fresh denial: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been reported when I was 13, so long ago.”