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The United Kingdom's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has urged Nigel Farage to apologise to school contemporaries who assert he racially abused them during their time at school.

Hermer said that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their accounts of his alleged conduct. He noted that the politician's "constantly changing" explanations had been less than credible.

“During his replies to valid inquiries, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a news outlet.

New Allegations Come to Light

A recent investigation last month detailed the accounts of several former classmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, a former pupil, described that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and utter: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, sometimes adding a long hiss to mimic the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority stated that when he was about nine, he was subjected to similar treatment by a older Farage.

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

Following the initial report, others have stepped forward; approximately twenty people have now claimed they were either subject to or observed highly inappropriate past behaviour by Farage.

The alleged events they outlined relate to the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Denials and Shifting Positions

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

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

They also reference his inability to reprimand a fellow Reform MP, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later expressed regret for the comments.

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

He continued: “Arguing that 20 people have somehow recalled incorrectly the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply is not believable."

Call for Leadership

“If he wants to be seen as a credible figure for high office, he has to address the concerns of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the numerous individuals he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

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

In a other comments, a senior politician said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to appear as a true statesman.

“It says a lot how very little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would identify as being crafted in a particular way to say something, but also dodge the issue,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In formal correspondence before the publication of the report, Farage’s lawyers claimed that “the implication that Mr Farage ever was involved in, condoned, or led this behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later altered his explanation in an appearance, saying: “Have I said things decades ago that you could view as being banter, you could interpret in a modern light today in a certain manner? Perhaps.”

He added that he had “not ever purposely really tried to go and hurt anybody”. Farage subsequently issued a new statement: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been reported when I was 13, nearly 50 years ago.”