Top Law Officer Urges Nigel Farage to Apologise Over Alleged Racism and Antisemitism.

The UK's attorney general, Richard Hermer, has demanded the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to school contemporaries who claim he targeted with racist abuse 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 added that the politician's "constantly changing" denials had been less than credible.

“Throughout his replies to valid inquiries, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a news outlet.

Further Testimonies Emerge

A published report last month documented the statements of several ex-pupils of Farage from a south London school.

One, Peter Ettedgui, said 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’, occasionally including a long hiss to simulate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority alleged that when he was roughly nine years old, he was singled out by a older Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil with two similarly tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘other’,” the person said. “That involved me on three occasions; inquiring where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

After the story broke, others have emerged; around two dozen people have now claimed they were either subject to or saw deeply offensive past behaviour by Farage.

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

Denials and Shifting Positions

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

Commentators have highlighted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his responses.

They also cite his inability to reprimand a colleague in his party, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in television commercials. She later apologised for the comments.

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

He added: “Claiming that 20 people have all misremembered the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Call for Leadership

“If he aspires to be seen as a legitimate candidate for high office, he has to confront the fears of the Jewish community, and apologise to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

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

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

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would understand as being crafted in a particular way to communicate, but also dodge the issue,” she noted.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence prior to the release of the investigation, Farage’s legal team claimed that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever was involved in, supported, or led this behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later appeared to change his position in an discussion, stating: “Have I said things as a youth that you could see as being banter, you could interpret in a modern light today in some sort of way? Perhaps.”

He added that he had “never directly attempted to go and hurt anybody”. Farage afterwards put out a further comment: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been reported aged 13, so long ago.”