Attorney General Calls On Nigel Farage to Apologise Over Alleged Antisemitic and Racist Behaviour.

The UK's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has demanded the Reform UK leader to apologise to former schoolmates who allege he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

Hermer said that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their accounts of his past behaviour. He added that the politician's "evolving" statements had been less than credible.

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

Fresh Claims Emerge

A recent investigation last month documented the statements of over a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, a former pupil, described that a 13-year-old Farage "came up to me and utter: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, occasionally including a long hiss to simulate 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 17-year-old Farage.

“He approached a pupil accompanied by two equally tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘other’,” the person said. “That included me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to any place you replied you were from.”

Since then, more people have stepped forward; around two dozen people have now alleged they were either victims of or witnesses to deeply offensive actions by Farage.

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

Denials and Shifting Positions

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

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

They also point to his failure to reprimand a fellow Reform MP, a MP, after she expressed views about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the comments.

“His evolving narrative about his behaviour to his peers [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

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

Demand for Accountability

“If he wishes to be seen as a legitimate candidate for the top job, he urgently needs confront the fears of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the numerous individuals he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

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

In a other comments, a senior politician said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to appear as a real leader.

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would identify as being written in a particular way to say something, but also dodge the issue,” she said.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In lawyers' communications before the publication of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers stated that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever was involved in, approved of, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later altered his position in an appearance, stating: “Did I say things 50 years ago that you could view as being playground talk, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in a certain manner? Possibly.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally attempted to go and upset anybody”. Farage later put out a new statement: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been published aged 13, decades in the past.”