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The United Kingdom's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has demanded Nigel Farage to apologise to school contemporaries who assert he targeted with racist abuse them during their time at school.

Hermer stated that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, according to their accounts of his alleged conduct. He noted that the leader's "evolving" explanations had been unconvincing.

“In his answers to legitimate questions, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a publication.

New Allegations Emerge

A series of inquiries last month documented the accounts of several one-time schoolmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, a former pupil, said that a teenage Farage "would sidle up to me and growl: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, occasionally including a long hiss to mimic 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 accompanied by two equally tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘other’,” the former student said. “That happened to me on three occasions; questioning me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

Since then, others have stepped forward; about 20 people have now claimed they were either victims of or witnesses to highly inappropriate past behaviour by Farage.

The behaviour they described span the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Evolving Explanations

The political figure has disputed that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the individuals were being untruthful.

Commentators have noted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his statements.

They also point to his inability to discipline a colleague in his party, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts. She later expressed regret for the comments.

“His evolving narrative about his behaviour to his peers [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He continued: “Arguing that two dozen individuals have somehow forgotten the same things about his nasty behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Question of Character

“If he wants to be seen as a legitimate candidate for high office, he must confront the fears of the Jewish people, and apologise to the numerous individuals he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Prejudice in all its forms is completely opposed to the standards of this country and we must not permit it to ever become accepted in society.”

In a different discussion, the Chancellor said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to be considered a real leader.

“It says a lot how very little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would recognise as being drafted in a certain style to communicate, but also avoid saying certain things,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In formal correspondence before the release of the investigation, Farage’s representatives stated that “the implication that Mr Farage ever was involved in, approved of, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his position in an discussion, saying: “Did I say things decades ago that you could interpret as being playground talk, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in a certain manner? Yes.”

He said that he had “not ever purposely attempted to go and upset anybody”. Farage subsequently put out a fresh denial: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been printed aged 13, decades in the past.”