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

Hermer remarked that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, judging by their testimonies of his alleged conduct. He commented that the leader's "shifting" denials had been less than credible.

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

New Allegations Surface

A series of inquiries last month outlined the accounts of more than a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from a south London school.

One, Peter Ettedgui, said that a 13-year-old Farage "would approach me and say: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, at times making a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil stated that when he was about nine, he was singled out by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil with two tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘different’,” the individual said. “That included me on three occasions; questioning me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you said you were from.”

Following the initial report, others have come forward; around two dozen people have now stated they were either targets of or saw highly inappropriate past behaviour by Farage.

The behaviour they described span the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Changing Stories

The political figure has denied that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the individuals were being untruthful.

Critics have pointed out that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his statements.

They also reference his reluctance to reprimand a colleague in his party, a MP, after she made remarks about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later expressed regret for the remarks.

“His shifting account about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He continued: “Claiming that a group of people have all forgotten the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply is not believable."

Demand for Accountability

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

“Racism in all its forms is anathema to the standards of this country and we should not let it to ever become normalised in public life.”

In a different discussion, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to look like a real leader.

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

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In lawyers' communications before the release of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers claimed that “the implication that Mr Farage ever engaged in, approved of, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is categorically denied”.

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

He added that he had “not ever purposely sought to go and harm anybody”. Farage subsequently put out 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.”