Attorney General Calls On Reform UK Leader to Say Sorry Over Reported Antisemitic and Racist Behaviour.

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

Hermer stated that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their descriptions of his past behaviour. He commented that the leader's "constantly changing" denials had been unconvincing.

“During his replies to valid inquiries, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a publication.

Further Testimonies Surface

A recent investigation last month outlined the statements of more than a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a private college.

One, Peter Ettedgui, recalled that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and say: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, occasionally including a long hiss to imitate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil claimed that when he was about nine, he was subjected to similar treatment by a older Farage.

“He approached a pupil accompanied by two similarly tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘different’,” the person said. “That involved me on three separate times; questioning me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”

Following the initial report, additional individuals have come forward; approximately twenty people have now claimed they were either victims of or saw deeply offensive actions by Farage.

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

Evolving Explanations

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

Critics have highlighted that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his statements.

They also point to his failure to sanction a party member, a MP, after she complained about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in television commercials. She later said sorry for the comments.

“His constantly changing story about his behaviour to his peers [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He added: “Suggesting that two dozen individuals have somehow forgotten the same things about his nasty behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Demand for Accountability

“If he wishes to be seen as a credible figure for high office, he has to confront the anxieties of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

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

In a separate interview, a senior politician said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to be considered a true statesman.

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would recognise as being written in a certain style to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she remarked.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In legal letters before the publication of the report, Farage’s legal team stated that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever engaged in, approved of, or led such conduct is completely refuted”.

Farage later altered his stance in an appearance, stating: “Did I say things decades ago that you could interpret as being banter, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some sort of way? Perhaps.”

He said that he had “not once intentionally sought to go and hurt anybody”. Farage later released a new statement: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been reported as a 13-year-old, decades in the past.”

Ashley Marquez
Ashley Marquez

A tech journalist with a passion for exploring emerging technologies and their impact on society.