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The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has called on the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to school contemporaries who claim he racially abused them during their school days.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their testimonies of his past behaviour. He commented that the leader's "shifting" statements had been difficult to believe.

“Throughout his replies to legitimate questions, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a publication.

Further Testimonies Emerge

A series of inquiries last month documented the testimony of several one-time schoolmates of Farage from a private college.

One, Peter Ettedgui, described that a 13-year-old Farage "would approach me and utter: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, occasionally including a long hiss to simulate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another student of colour stated that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a older Farage.

“He approached a pupil accompanied by two equally tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘other’,” the individual said. “That happened to me on three occasions; inquiring where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to wherever you answered you were from.”

Since then, others have stepped forward; approximately twenty people have now alleged they were either victims of or observed highly inappropriate past behaviour by Farage.

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

Denials and Shifting Positions

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

Critics have highlighted that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his responses.

They also point to his reluctance to discipline a fellow Reform MP, a MP, after she complained about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in television commercials. She later said sorry for the remarks.

“Nigel Farage’s shifting account about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He continued: “Suggesting that two dozen individuals have all forgotten the same things about his nasty behaviour simply is not believable."

Demand for Accountability

“If he wishes to be seen as a serious contender for prime minister, he urgently needs address the fears of the Jewish community, and apologise to the many people he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

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

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

“It says a lot how very little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would recognise as being crafted in a certain style to say something, but also dodge the issue,” she said.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence prior to the release of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers claimed that “the implication that Mr Farage ever was involved in, condoned, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his stance in an appearance, saying: “Have I said things decades ago that you could view as being playground talk, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some way? Yes.”

He said that he had “never directly really tried to go and upset anybody”. Farage afterwards issued a fresh denial: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been printed aged 13, decades in the past.”