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The United Kingdom's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has called on Nigel Farage to apologise to former schoolmates who assert he targeted with racist abuse them during their time at school.

Hermer stated that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their testimonies of his past behaviour. He noted that the leader's "constantly changing" explanations had been difficult to believe.

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

New Allegations Come to Light

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

One, a former pupil, said that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and growl: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, occasionally including a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another student of colour stated that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a older Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil flanked by two equally tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘other’,” the individual said. “That included me on three separate times; questioning me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you said you were from.”

Since then, additional individuals have come forward; around two dozen people have now alleged they were either victims of or observed deeply offensive past behaviour by Farage.

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

Changing Stories

The Reform leader has disputed that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the former classmates were not telling the truth.

Observers have pointed out that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his statements.

They also cite his reluctance to reprimand a colleague in his party, a MP, after she expressed views about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in television commercials. She later said sorry for the comments.

“Nigel Farage’s constantly changing story about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He went on to say: “Arguing that a group of people have all misremembered the same things about his offensive behaviour simply is not believable."

Call for Leadership

“If he aspires to be seen as a credible figure for high office, he urgently needs address the anxieties of the Jewish people, and apologise to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Prejudice in all its forms is completely opposed to the principles of this country and we must not permit it to ever become accepted in public life.”

In a different discussion, the Chancellor said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to appear as a real leader.

“It says a lot how very little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would recognise as being written in a certain style to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she noted.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence before the publication of the report, Farage’s lawyers asserted that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever took part in, condoned, or led this behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his position in an appearance, remarking: “Did I say things 50 years ago that you could see as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some sort of way? Yes.”

He added that he had “never directly attempted to go and hurt anybody”. Farage afterwards issued a further comment: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been reported when I was 13, decades in the past.”