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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 school days.

Hermer stated that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their descriptions of his past behaviour. He noted that the politician's "shifting" statements had been difficult to believe.

“In his replies to valid inquiries, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a publication.

Further Testimonies Surface

A series of inquiries last month documented the accounts of several ex-pupils of Farage from a south London school.

One, Peter Ettedgui, said that a teenage Farage "would sidle up to me and utter: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, sometimes adding a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority stated that when he was about nine, he was singled out by a older Farage.

“He came over to a pupil flanked by two similarly tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the individual said. “That involved me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you answered you were from.”

Following the initial report, additional individuals have come forward; about 20 people have now alleged they were either targets of or witnesses to hurtful past behaviour by Farage.

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

Changing Stories

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

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

They also cite his reluctance to sanction a fellow Reform MP, 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 constantly changing story about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He continued: “Claiming that two dozen individuals have all forgotten the same things about his nasty behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Demand for Accountability

“If he aspires to be seen as a serious contender for the top job, he must acknowledge the concerns of the Jewish community, and apologise to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Prejudice in all its forms is completely opposed to the principles of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become normalised in society.”

In a other comments, a senior politician said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to appear as a real leader.

“It says a lot how little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would identify as being written in a certain style to say something, but also dodge the issue,” she remarked.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence before the publication of the investigation, Farage’s representatives stated that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever took part in, approved of, or led this behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later altered his stance in an interview, saying: “Did I say things decades ago that you could view as being banter, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some way? Yes.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally really tried to go and hurt anybody”. Farage afterwards put out a new statement: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been printed when I was 13, nearly 50 years ago.”