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The United Kingdom's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has called on Nigel Farage to issue an apology to former schoolmates who allege he racially abused them during their time at school.

Hermer said that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their testimonies of his past behaviour. He added that the leader's "shifting" explanations had been unconvincing.

“Throughout his defensive responses to legitimate questions, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a publication.

Fresh Claims Surface

A series of inquiries last month outlined the accounts of over a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, Peter Ettedgui, said that a teenage Farage "would approach me and utter: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, occasionally including a long hiss to imitate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another student of colour claimed that when he was roughly nine years old, he was subjected to similar treatment by a 17-year-old Farage.

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

After the story broke, more people have come forward; around two dozen people have now claimed they were either victims of or witnesses to highly inappropriate actions by Farage.

The alleged events they recounted cover the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Changing Stories

The political figure has disputed that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the accusers were being untruthful.

Commentators have noted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his responses.

They also cite his failure to discipline a party member, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in television commercials. She later expressed regret for the remarks.

“His constantly changing story about his behaviour to his peers [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer said.

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

Question of Character

“If he aspires to be seen as a legitimate candidate for prime minister, he urgently needs confront the concerns of the Jewish community, and apologise to the numerous individuals he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

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

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

“It says a lot how very little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would understand as being written in a specific manner to communicate, but also dodge the issue,” she noted.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In legal letters prior to the publication of the investigation, Farage’s legal team claimed that “the implication that Mr Farage ever engaged in, supported, or led this behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his stance in an discussion, stating: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could interpret as being banter, you could interpret in a modern light today in some sort of way? Yes.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally sought to go and upset anybody”. Farage subsequently put out a further comment: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been reported as a 13-year-old, decades in the past.”