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The United Kingdom's attorney general, Richard Hermer, has urged Nigel Farage to issue an apology to former schoolmates who assert he racially abused them during their school days.

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

“Throughout his answers to legitimate questions, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a publication.

New Allegations Surface

A recent investigation last month detailed the testimony of over a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from a south London school.

One, Peter Ettedgui, said that a 13-year-old Farage "would approach me and utter: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, sometimes adding a long hiss to mimic the sound of the gas showers”.

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

“He came over to a pupil accompanied by two tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘other’,” the person said. “That included me on three occasions; questioning me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to any place you replied you were from.”

Since then, others have emerged; around two dozen people have now stated they were either victims of or observed deeply offensive conduct by Farage.

The incidents they described cover the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Evolving Explanations

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

Observers have pointed out that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his denials.

They also cite his reluctance to reprimand a colleague in his party, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later said sorry for the remarks.

“Nigel Farage’s shifting account about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He continued: “Suggesting that 20 people have somehow forgotten the same things about his offensive behaviour simply is not believable."

Call for Leadership

“If he wants to be seen as a serious contender for the top job, he has to acknowledge the anxieties of the Jewish community, and apologise to the numerous individuals he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Prejudice in all its forms is abhorrent 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 “say something” if he wanted to be considered a true statesman.

“It says a lot how very little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would identify as being crafted in a certain style to communicate, but also dodge the issue,” she said.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In lawyers' communications before the publication of the report, Farage’s lawyers claimed that “the implication that Mr Farage ever took part in, approved of, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is strongly rejected”.

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

He said that he had “never directly really tried to go and hurt anybody”. Farage later put out a new statement: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been reported as a 13-year-old, so long ago.”