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

Hermer remarked that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their descriptions of his past behaviour. He noted that the leader's "evolving" explanations had been difficult to believe.

“Throughout his replies to valid inquiries, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a publication.

Fresh Claims Emerge

A recent investigation last month detailed the statements of more than a dozen former classmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, Peter Ettedgui, recalled that a teenage Farage "came up to me and growl: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, at times making a long hiss to mimic the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

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

“He approached a pupil with two equally tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘other’,” the individual said. “That involved me on three separate times; questioning me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to any place you said you were from.”

Following the initial report, more people have come forward; approximately twenty people have now stated they were either subject to or observed hurtful actions by Farage.

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

Changing Stories

The political figure has disputed that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the former classmates were misremembering.

Commentators have pointed out that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his denials.

They also reference his reluctance to discipline a colleague in his party, a MP, after she complained about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later said sorry for the comments.

“His evolving narrative about his behaviour to his peers [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

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

Demand for Accountability

“If he wishes to be seen as a legitimate candidate for prime minister, he urgently needs address the concerns of the Jewish people, and apologise to the those he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Prejudice in all its forms is abhorrent to the standards of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become legitimised in public life.”

In a other comments, a senior politician said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to be considered a real leader.

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would recognise as being crafted in a particular way to say something, but also dodge the issue,” she remarked.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In lawyers' communications before the release of the report, Farage’s lawyers stated that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever was involved in, approved of, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later altered his stance in an discussion, stating: “Did I say things as a youth that you could see as being banter, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in a certain manner? Possibly.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally really tried to go and upset anybody”. Farage subsequently released a fresh denial: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been printed aged 13, decades in the past.”