🔗 Share this article

The United Kingdom's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has called on the Reform UK leader to apologise to school contemporaries who assert he racially abused them during their time at school.

Hermer stated that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, according to their descriptions of his past behaviour. He added that the leader's "evolving" explanations had been less than credible.

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

Fresh Claims Come to Light

A published report last month outlined the statements of several one-time schoolmates of Farage from a private college.

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

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

“He came over to a pupil accompanied by two tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘different’,” the person said. “That included me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to wherever you said you were from.”

Since then, others have emerged; approximately twenty people have now stated they were either subject to or observed highly inappropriate past behaviour by Farage.

The behaviour they outlined cover the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Changing Stories

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

Observers have highlighted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his denials.

They also cite his failure to discipline a party member, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the statements.

“His shifting account about his behaviour to his peers [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He went on to say: “Claiming that 20 people have somehow misremembered the same things about his offensive behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Call for Leadership

“If he wishes to be seen as a serious contender for prime minister, he urgently needs address the concerns of the Jewish community, and apologise to the those he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Racism in all its forms is completely opposed to the principles of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become accepted in politics.”

In a other comments, the Chancellor said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to be considered a real leader.

“It is very telling how very little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would identify as being crafted in a certain style to communicate, but also avoid saying certain things,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In legal letters before the release of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers stated that “the implication that Mr Farage ever engaged in, supported, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his stance in an discussion, remarking: “Have I said things decades ago that you could interpret as being playground talk, you could interpret in a modern light today in some sort of way? Perhaps.”

He commented that he had “never directly really tried to go and hurt anybody”. Farage subsequently released a new statement: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been published as a 13-year-old, decades in the past.”