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The United Kingdom's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has urged Nigel Farage to issue an apology to school contemporaries who allege he racially abused them during their time at school.

Hermer said that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, according to their testimonies of his past behaviour. He added that the politician's "constantly changing" denials had been unconvincing.

“During his answers to legitimate questions, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a news outlet.

Further Testimonies Emerge

A recent investigation last month outlined the statements of several ex-pupils of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, Peter Ettedgui, said that a teenage Farage "would sidle up to me and growl: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, at times making a long hiss to mimic the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

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

“He came over to a pupil accompanied by two similarly tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the former student said. “That happened to me on three occasions; questioning me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

Since then, additional individuals have emerged; about 20 people have now alleged they were either victims of or observed hurtful conduct by Farage.

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

Changing Stories

The Reform leader has denied that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the accusers were misremembering.

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 party member, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in television commercials. She later said sorry for the comments.

“Nigel Farage’s evolving narrative about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He went on to say: “Arguing that 20 people have all recalled incorrectly the same things about his nasty behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Question of Character

“If he wishes to be seen as a credible figure for the top job, he urgently needs confront the anxieties of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the many people he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Prejudice in all its forms is abhorrent to the standards of this country and we should not let it to ever become accepted in politics.”

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

“It is very telling how very little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would understand as being drafted in a specific manner to say something, but also dodge the issue,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In legal letters before the release of the investigation, Farage’s legal team claimed that “the implication that Mr Farage ever engaged in, supported, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later appeared to change his stance in an discussion, stating: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could interpret as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a modern light today in some sort of way? Perhaps.”

He added that he had “not once intentionally really tried to go and upset anybody”. Farage afterwards released a fresh denial: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been reported aged 13, decades in the past.”