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The United Kingdom's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has demanded the Reform UK leader to apologise to former schoolmates who assert he racially abused them during their years in education.

Hermer stated that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, based on their descriptions of his past behaviour. He commented that the politician's "evolving" denials had been unconvincing.

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

Fresh Claims Emerge

A series of inquiries last month outlined the statements of several one-time schoolmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, Peter Ettedgui, recalled that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and say: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, sometimes adding a long hiss to imitate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil alleged that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He approached a pupil with two tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the individual said. “That involved me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to any place you replied you were from.”

Following the initial report, more people have emerged; around two dozen people have now stated they were either targets of or saw hurtful past behaviour by Farage.

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

Denials and Shifting Positions

The Reform leader has denied that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the accusers were being untruthful.

Commentators have highlighted that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his statements.

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

“His constantly changing story about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He went on to say: “Arguing that 20 people have all forgotten the same things about his offensive behaviour simply is not believable."

Demand for Accountability

“If he aspires to be seen as a credible figure for prime minister, he urgently needs address the concerns of the Jewish people, and apologise to the numerous individuals he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Bigotry in all its forms is abhorrent to the principles of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become legitimised in politics.”

In a other comments, a senior politician said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to appear as a genuine leader.

“It says a lot how very little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would identify as being written in a particular way to communicate, but also not to say something,” she remarked.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

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

Farage later appeared to change his position in an interview, saying: “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 sort of way? Yes.”

He said that he had “not once intentionally sought to go and upset anybody”. Farage later issued a new statement: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been reported aged 13, nearly 50 years ago.”