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The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has urged Nigel Farage to apologise to former schoolmates who assert he racially abused them during their school days.

Hermer stated that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, judging by their testimonies of his actions as a youth. He commented that the politician's "shifting" explanations had been difficult to believe.

“Throughout his answers to legitimate questions, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a publication.

Fresh Claims Emerge

A series of inquiries last month documented the statements of several former classmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, a former pupil, said that a teenage Farage "came up to me and utter: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, occasionally including a long hiss to imitate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

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

“He approached a pupil accompanied by two tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the individual said. “That involved me on three occasions; inquiring where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to wherever you said you were from.”

Since then, more people have emerged; around two dozen people have now claimed they were either victims of or witnesses to deeply offensive conduct by Farage.

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

Denials and Shifting Positions

The Reform leader has denied that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the accusers were misremembering.

Critics have highlighted that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his responses.

They also point to his reluctance to reprimand a party member, a MP, after she made remarks about the number of black and brown people she saw in television commercials. She later expressed regret for the comments.

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

He added: “Suggesting that two dozen individuals have somehow 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 must acknowledge the fears of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the those he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Racism in all its forms is anathema to the values of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become legitimised in public life.”

In a different discussion, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to be considered a real leader.

“It is very telling how little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would understand as being written in a specific manner to communicate, but also dodge the issue,” she said.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In legal letters before the release of the report, Farage’s lawyers asserted that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever engaged in, condoned, or led such conduct is strongly rejected”.

Farage later altered his stance in an appearance, saying: “Did I say things 50 years ago that you could interpret as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some way? Yes.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally really tried to go and upset anybody”. Farage afterwards released a further comment: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been reported as a 13-year-old, so long ago.”