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The UK's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has demanded Nigel Farage to apologise 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 testimonies of his actions as a youth. He added that the politician's "shifting" statements had been unconvincing.

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

Fresh Claims Surface

A recent investigation last month detailed the testimony of more than a dozen former classmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, a former pupil, described that a teenage Farage "would sidle up to me and growl: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, occasionally including a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil claimed that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a older Farage.

“He approached a pupil flanked by two equally tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘different’,” the individual said. “That happened to me on three occasions; questioning me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you said you were from.”

After the story broke, more people have come forward; around two dozen people have now alleged they were either subject to or saw deeply offensive past behaviour by Farage.

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

Denials and Shifting Positions

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

Critics have noted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his statements.

They also cite his failure to sanction a fellow Reform MP, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later said sorry for the comments.

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

He went on to say: “Claiming that 20 people have all recalled incorrectly the same things about his offensive behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Demand for Accountability

“If he wishes to be seen as a legitimate candidate for high office, he has to address the anxieties of the Jewish community, and apologise to the those he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Bigotry in all its forms is abhorrent to the principles of this country and we should not let it to ever become accepted in politics.”

In a other comments, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to look like a real leader.

“It says a lot how little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would identify as being written in a certain style to communicate, but also dodge the issue,” she said.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

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

Farage later appeared to change his stance in an interview, stating: “Did I say things decades ago that you could see as being playground talk, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some sort of way? Yes.”

He added that he had “not once intentionally really tried to go and upset anybody”. Farage later issued a further comment: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been reported as a 13-year-old, nearly 50 years ago.”