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The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has demanded the Reform UK leader to apologise to former schoolmates who allege he targeted with racist abuse them during their years in education.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, based on their descriptions of his actions as a youth. He noted that the leader's "evolving" statements had been difficult to believe.

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

Fresh Claims Emerge

A series of inquiries last month outlined the accounts of more than a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, Peter Ettedgui, recalled that a teenage 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 stated that when he was about nine, he was singled out by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He came over to a pupil accompanied by two similarly tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the person said. “That involved me on three separate times; asking me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

Following the initial report, additional individuals have emerged; approximately twenty people have now stated they were either victims of or observed hurtful actions by Farage.

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

Evolving Explanations

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

Observers have noted that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his statements.

They also point to his failure to sanction a colleague in his party, a MP, after she complained about the number of black and brown people she saw in television commercials. She later said sorry for the comments.

“His evolving narrative about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He added: “Arguing that 20 people have somehow forgotten the same things about his offensive behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Question of Character

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

“Bigotry in all its forms is anathema to the standards of this country and we must not permit it to ever become normalised in society.”

In a other comments, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to be considered a real leader.

“It speaks volumes how very little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would understand as being crafted in a specific manner to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In legal letters before the release of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers stated that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever engaged in, approved of, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later altered his position in an discussion, stating: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could see as being banter, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some way? Perhaps.”

He said that he had “never directly really tried to go and harm anybody”. Farage afterwards released a further comment: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been published aged 13, decades in the past.”