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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 targeted with racist abuse them during their time at school.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their descriptions of his alleged conduct. He added that the leader's "evolving" statements had been difficult to believe.

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

New Allegations Come to Light

A published report last month documented the accounts of over a dozen former classmates of Farage from a south London school.

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

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

“He came over to a pupil flanked by two equally tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘different’,” the former student said. “That included me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you said you were from.”

After the story broke, others have emerged; about 20 people have now alleged they were either victims of or saw hurtful actions by Farage.

The incidents they recounted relate to the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Denials and Shifting Positions

The political figure has disputed that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the individuals were not telling the truth.

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

They also cite his failure to discipline 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 statements.

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

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

Call for Leadership

“If he wishes to be seen as a legitimate candidate for the top job, he urgently needs acknowledge the concerns of the Jewish community, and apologise to the those he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

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

In a different discussion, a senior politician said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to look like a genuine leader.

“It speaks volumes how very little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would identify as being written in a certain style to say something, but also not to say something,” she said.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In lawyers' communications before the release of the report, Farage’s legal team claimed that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever was involved in, supported, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later altered his position in an appearance, saying: “Have I said things decades ago that you could see as being playground talk, you could interpret in a modern light today in some way? Possibly.”

He commented that he had “not ever purposely really tried to go and harm anybody”. Farage later released a further comment: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been reported when I was 13, nearly 50 years ago.”