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The United Kingdom's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has demanded Nigel Farage to apologise to former schoolmates who allege he targeted with racist abuse them during their time at school.

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

“In his defensive responses to legitimate questions, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a news outlet.

Fresh Claims Surface

A recent investigation last month documented the statements of over a dozen former classmates of Farage from a private college.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a teenage Farage "would sidle up to me and growl: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, at times making a long hiss to imitate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil claimed that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a older Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil with two similarly tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the individual said. “That involved me on three occasions; questioning me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you said you were from.”

After the story broke, additional individuals have stepped forward; around two dozen people have now alleged they were either subject to or witnesses to highly inappropriate past behaviour by Farage.

The behaviour they described span the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Denials and Shifting Positions

The Reform leader has rejected that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the individuals were being untruthful.

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

They also cite his reluctance to discipline a party member, 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 constantly changing story about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He continued: “Suggesting that a group of people have somehow recalled incorrectly the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Demand for Accountability

“If he wants to be seen as a legitimate candidate for high office, he urgently needs acknowledge the concerns of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the those he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Racism in all its forms is anathema to the principles of this country and we must not permit it to ever become normalised in public life.”

In a different discussion, a senior politician said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to look like a true statesman.

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would recognise as being crafted in a certain style to say something, but also not to say something,” she noted.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In lawyers' communications before the publication of the investigation, Farage’s representatives asserted that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever was involved in, supported, or led this behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his explanation in an discussion, stating: “Have I said things decades ago that you could see as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a today's standards today in a certain manner? Possibly.”

He added that he had “not ever purposely attempted to go and harm anybody”. Farage afterwards put out a fresh denial: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been published when I was 13, nearly 50 years ago.”