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The United Kingdom's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has called on the Reform UK leader to apologise to former schoolmates who allege he racially abused them during their school days.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, according to their accounts of his alleged conduct. He added that the leader's "shifting" explanations had been difficult to believe.

“During his defensive responses to valid inquiries, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a news outlet.

New Allegations Surface

A published report last month documented the statements of more than a dozen former classmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, Peter Ettedgui, described that a 13-year-old Farage "would approach me and growl: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, occasionally including a long hiss to mimic the sound of the gas showers”.

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

“He approached a pupil accompanied by two similarly tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘different’,” the former student said. “That happened to me on three occasions; questioning me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you answered you were from.”

After the story broke, additional individuals have emerged; approximately twenty people have now alleged they were either targets of or saw highly inappropriate past behaviour by Farage.

The incidents they recounted span the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Denials and Shifting Positions

The political figure has denied that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the accusers were not telling the truth.

Critics have pointed out that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his denials.

They also cite his failure to discipline a fellow Reform MP, a MP, after she made remarks about the number of people of colour she saw in television commercials. She later said sorry for the remarks.

“His shifting account about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He went on to say: “Suggesting that 20 people have somehow forgotten the same things about his offensive behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Demand for Accountability

“If he aspires to be seen as a credible figure for the top job, he must address the concerns of the Jewish community, and apologise to the numerous individuals he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Bigotry in all its forms is completely opposed to the principles of this country and we should not let it to ever become accepted in public life.”

In a separate interview, a senior politician said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to be considered a true statesman.

“It is very telling how very little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would recognise as being written in a particular way to communicate, but also avoid saying certain things,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In legal letters before the publication of the investigation, Farage’s representatives asserted that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever was involved in, approved of, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his position in an discussion, saying: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could see as being playground talk, you could interpret in a today's standards today in a certain manner? Possibly.”

He commented that he had “not ever purposely sought to go and hurt anybody”. Farage later released a new statement: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been printed as a 13-year-old, nearly 50 years ago.”