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The United Kingdom's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has urged Nigel Farage to issue an apology to former schoolmates who allege he racially abused them during their time at school.

Hermer stated that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, according to their descriptions of his alleged conduct. He noted that the politician's "shifting" statements had been unconvincing.

“Throughout his defensive responses to legitimate questions, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a news outlet.

Further Testimonies Emerge

A series of inquiries last month documented the testimony of over a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a teenage Farage "would sidle up to me and say: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, sometimes adding a long hiss to mimic the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil stated that when he was about nine, he was similarly targeted by a older Farage.

“He came over to a pupil flanked by two similarly tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the former student said. “That included me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

Since then, additional individuals have emerged; approximately twenty people have now stated they were either subject to or witnesses to hurtful actions by Farage.

The alleged events they outlined span the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Evolving Explanations

The political figure has denied that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the individuals were not telling the truth.

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

They also point to his inability to reprimand a colleague in his party, Sarah Pochin, after she expressed views about the number of black and brown people she saw in television commercials. She later said sorry for the statements.

“His shifting account about his behaviour to his peers [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He added: “Claiming that a group of people have all forgotten the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Question of Character

“If he aspires to be seen as a serious contender for the top job, he has to confront the anxieties of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the those 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 cannot allow it to ever become accepted in public life.”

In a other comments, a senior politician said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to look like a genuine leader.

“It is very telling how very little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would recognise as being drafted in a specific manner to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she noted.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In formal correspondence before the release of the report, Farage’s lawyers asserted that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever was involved in, approved of, or led this behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later appeared to change his explanation in an interview, saying: “Did I say things 50 years ago that you could interpret as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some way? Possibly.”

He added that he had “never directly sought to go and hurt anybody”. Farage later released a fresh denial: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been printed as a 13-year-old, so long ago.”