🔗 Share this article

The United Kingdom's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has called on the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to school contemporaries who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

Hermer said that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, judging by their descriptions of his past behaviour. He added that the politician's "evolving" denials had been difficult to believe.

“During his answers to valid inquiries, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a news outlet.

New Allegations Come to Light

A published report last month detailed the statements of more than a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, Peter Ettedgui, recalled that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and utter: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, 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 singled out by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil flanked by two tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the individual said. “That happened to me on three separate times; asking me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

After the story broke, more people have come forward; approximately twenty people have now claimed they were either victims of or observed deeply offensive past behaviour by Farage.

The behaviour they described cover the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Changing Stories

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

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

They also cite his inability to sanction a colleague in his party, Sarah Pochin, after she complained 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] hard to believe, 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 isn’t credible."

Demand for Accountability

“If he aspires to be seen as a credible figure for high office, 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.

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

In a separate interview, a senior politician said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to be considered a genuine leader.

“It is very telling how little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would understand as being written in a certain style to say something, but also not to say something,” she noted.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence prior to the release of the report, Farage’s lawyers stated that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever engaged in, supported, or led this behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later altered his stance in an discussion, stating: “Have I said things decades ago that you could see as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a modern light today in some way? Perhaps.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally sought to go and upset anybody”. Farage afterwards released a further comment: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been published aged 13, nearly 50 years ago.”