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The United Kingdom's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has called on Nigel Farage to apologise to former schoolmates who assert he targeted with racist abuse them during their years in education.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, judging by their descriptions of his actions as a youth. He noted that the leader's "constantly changing" denials had been less than credible.

“During his answers to valid inquiries, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a news outlet.

New Allegations Emerge

A series of inquiries last month outlined the testimony of more than a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a private college.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a 13-year-old Farage "would approach me and utter: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, at times making a long hiss to mimic the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

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

“He approached a pupil flanked by two similarly tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the former student said. “That happened to me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you said you were from.”

After the story broke, others have stepped forward; around two dozen people have now alleged they were either subject to or saw hurtful conduct by Farage.

The behaviour they recounted cover the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Denials and Shifting Positions

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

Commentators have noted that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his denials.

They also cite his failure to sanction a colleague in his party, a MP, after she made remarks about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in television commercials. She later apologised for the remarks.

“His constantly changing story about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer said.

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

Demand for Accountability

“If he wishes to be seen as a serious contender for the top job, he urgently needs confront the anxieties of the Jewish community, and apologise to the those he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Prejudice in all its forms is abhorrent to the principles of this country and we should not let it to ever become legitimised in public life.”

In a separate interview, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to look like a genuine leader.

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would recognise as being crafted in a particular way to communicate, but also not to say something,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In legal letters before the release of the investigation, Farage’s representatives claimed that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever engaged in, condoned, or led such conduct is categorically denied”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his stance in an discussion, stating: “Did I say things as a youth that you could interpret as being banter, you could interpret in a modern light today in some way? Possibly.”

He said that he had “not once intentionally really tried to go and hurt anybody”. Farage afterwards released a new statement: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been printed aged 13, so long ago.”