Attorney General Calls On Nigel Farage to Say Sorry Over Reported Racism and Antisemitism.

The United Kingdom's attorney general, Richard Hermer, has called on Nigel Farage to apologise to former schoolmates who assert he targeted with racist abuse them during their years in education.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, based on their descriptions of his alleged conduct. He noted that the politician's "constantly changing" denials had been unconvincing.

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

Further Testimonies Emerge

A recent investigation last month outlined the accounts of several former classmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, a former pupil, said that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and growl: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, occasionally including 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 with two tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the individual said. “That involved me on three separate times; questioning me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to any place you said you were from.”

After the story broke, additional individuals have come forward; about 20 people have now claimed they were either targets of or witnesses to highly inappropriate past behaviour by Farage.

The alleged events they outlined span the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Evolving Explanations

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

Critics have pointed out that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his denials.

They also reference his failure to reprimand a fellow Reform MP, a MP, after she expressed views about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in television commercials. She later said sorry for the remarks.

“Nigel Farage’s evolving narrative about his behaviour to his peers [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He continued: “Suggesting that 20 people have all recalled incorrectly the same things about his offensive behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Call for Leadership

“If he wants to be seen as a credible figure for the top job, he must acknowledge the concerns of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the numerous individuals he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Racism in all its forms is completely opposed to the standards of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become legitimised in society.”

In a other comments, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to look like a real leader.

“It is very telling how very little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would identify as being drafted in a particular way to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she said.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In formal correspondence prior to the publication of the report, Farage’s representatives asserted that “the implication that Mr Farage ever was involved in, condoned, or led such conduct is completely refuted”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his position in an interview, saying: “Have I said things decades ago that you could see as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a modern light today in a certain manner? Yes.”

He added that he had “not ever purposely sought to go and upset anybody”. Farage afterwards released a further comment: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been published when I was 13, nearly 50 years ago.”