Top Law Officer Urges Nigel Farage to Apologise Over Reported Antisemitic and Racist Behaviour.
The United Kingdom's attorney general, Richard Hermer, has urged the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to school contemporaries who allege he targeted with racist abuse them during their years in education.
Hermer remarked that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, judging by their descriptions of his alleged conduct. He noted that the politician's "evolving" explanations had been difficult to believe.
“Throughout his replies to legitimate questions, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a news outlet.
Further Testimonies Emerge
A series of inquiries last month detailed the statements of more than a dozen former classmates of Farage from Dulwich College.
One, Peter Ettedgui, recalled 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 mimic the sound of the gas showers”.
Another student of colour stated that when he was about nine, he was similarly targeted by a older Farage.
“He came over to a pupil accompanied by two equally tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘other’,” the person said. “That involved me on three separate times; questioning me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you replied you were from.”
Following the initial report, more people have emerged; about 20 people have now stated they were either victims of or witnesses to hurtful actions by Farage.
The incidents they outlined cover the period when Farage was aged a teenager.
Evolving Explanations
The political figure has rejected that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the individuals were being untruthful.
Critics have noted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his responses.
They also point to his failure to reprimand a fellow Reform MP, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of people of colour she saw in television commercials. She later expressed regret for the remarks.
“Nigel Farage’s shifting account about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer stated.
He continued: “Suggesting that a group of people have somehow forgotten the same things about his nasty behaviour simply lacks credibility."
Question of Character
“If he wants to be seen as a serious contender for high office, he has to acknowledge the anxieties of the Jewish community, and apologise to the many people he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.
“Bigotry in all its forms is completely opposed to the standards of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become legitimised in society.”
In a different discussion, a senior politician said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to look like a genuine leader.
“It says a lot how very little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would identify as being drafted in a specific manner to communicate, but also not to say something,” she noted.
Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments
In legal letters prior to the release of the investigation, Farage’s representatives claimed that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever was involved in, supported, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is categorically denied”.
Farage later appeared to change his stance in an appearance, saying: “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? Possibly.”
He commented that he had “not once intentionally attempted to go and hurt anybody”. Farage subsequently issued a further comment: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been reported when I was 13, nearly 50 years ago.”