The United Kingdom's attorney general, Richard Hermer, has urged Nigel Farage to issue an apology to former schoolmates who assert he targeted with racist abuse them during their time at school.
Hermer said that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their accounts of his alleged conduct. He added that the leader's "shifting" denials had been unconvincing.
“During his defensive responses to legitimate questions, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a publication.
A recent investigation last month outlined the accounts of more than a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a south London school.
One, Peter Ettedgui, said that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and say: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, at times making a long hiss to imitate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.
Another student of colour stated that when he was roughly nine years old, he was singled out by a 17-year-old Farage.
“He came over to a pupil accompanied by two equally tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘other’,” the former student said. “That involved me on three separate times; asking me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you said you were from.”
Since then, others have emerged; around two dozen people have now alleged they were either targets of or observed highly inappropriate past behaviour by Farage.
The incidents they outlined span the period when Farage was aged a teenager.
The political figure has disputed that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the individuals were not telling the truth.
Observers have pointed out that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his responses.
They also cite his reluctance to reprimand a party member, a MP, after she complained about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later said sorry for the remarks.
“Nigel Farage’s evolving narrative about his behaviour to his peers [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer stated.
He went on to say: “Claiming that two dozen individuals have all misremembered the same things about his offensive behaviour simply isn’t credible."
“If he aspires to be seen as a legitimate candidate for the top job, he must address the concerns of the Jewish people, and apologise to the many people he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.
“Bigotry in all its forms is abhorrent to the standards of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become accepted in public life.”
In a separate interview, the Chancellor said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to appear as a genuine leader.
“It is very telling how little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would identify as being drafted in a specific manner to communicate, but also avoid saying certain things,” she remarked.
In lawyers' communications before the publication of the report, Farage’s representatives claimed that “the implication that Mr Farage ever engaged in, supported, or led such conduct is strongly rejected”.
Farage later altered his position in an appearance, stating: “Did I say things decades ago that you could see as being banter, you could interpret in a modern light today in some sort of way? Yes.”
He commented that he had “not once intentionally attempted to go and harm anybody”. Farage afterwards released a further comment: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been reported aged 13, so long ago.”
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