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The United Kingdom's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has urged Nigel Farage to issue an apology to school contemporaries who assert he racially abused them during their time at school.

Hermer stated that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their accounts of his actions as a youth. He commented that the leader's "evolving" statements had been difficult to believe.

“In his defensive responses to legitimate questions, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a publication.

Further Testimonies Emerge

A published report last month outlined the testimony of several ex-pupils of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a teenage Farage "would sidle up to me and utter: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, at times making a long hiss to imitate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil alleged that when he was roughly nine years old, he was singled out by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He approached a pupil accompanied by two tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘different’,” the individual said. “That happened to me on three occasions; inquiring where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you answered you were from.”

After the story broke, more people have come forward; approximately twenty people have now claimed they were either victims of or saw deeply offensive actions by Farage.

The behaviour they described relate to the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Evolving Explanations

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

Critics have highlighted that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his statements.

They also cite his failure to sanction a colleague in his party, a MP, after she expressed views about the number of people of colour she saw in television commercials. She later said sorry for the remarks.

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

He went on to say: “Arguing that two dozen individuals have all recalled incorrectly the same things about his offensive behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Demand for Accountability

“If he wishes to be seen as a legitimate candidate for the top job, he must address the concerns of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the numerous individuals he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Prejudice in all its forms is anathema to the values of this country and we must not permit it to ever become accepted in politics.”

In a different discussion, a senior politician said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to look like a genuine leader.

“It says a lot how very little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would identify as being written in a particular way to communicate, but also not to say something,” she noted.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In legal letters before the publication of the investigation, Farage’s legal team stated that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever engaged in, approved of, or led this behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his explanation in an appearance, remarking: “Have I said things decades ago that you could view as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a modern light today in some way? Yes.”

He commented that he had “not ever purposely really tried to go and upset anybody”. Farage afterwards put out a new statement: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been reported aged 13, decades in the past.”