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The United Kingdom's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has urged the Reform UK leader to apologise to former schoolmates who allege he targeted with racist abuse them during their time at school.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, based on their descriptions of his alleged conduct. He commented that the politician's "evolving" explanations had been difficult to believe.

“Throughout his defensive responses to valid inquiries, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a news outlet.

New Allegations Emerge

A published report last month outlined the accounts of over a dozen former classmates of Farage from a private college.

One, a former pupil, described that a 13-year-old Farage "came up to me and utter: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, occasionally including a long hiss to mimic the sound of the gas showers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil alleged that when he was about nine, he was singled out by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He approached a pupil accompanied by two equally tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘different’,” the former student said. “That included me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”

Since then, additional individuals have come forward; around two dozen people have now claimed they were either victims of or saw deeply offensive conduct by Farage.

The incidents they described span the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Changing Stories

The political figure has denied that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the accusers were not telling the truth.

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

They also point to his reluctance to reprimand a fellow Reform MP, a MP, after she made remarks about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the statements.

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

He went on to say: “Suggesting that two dozen individuals have somehow misremembered the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Question of Character

“If he wants to be seen as a legitimate candidate for high office, he has to acknowledge the anxieties of the Jewish community, and apologise to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

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

In a different discussion, a senior politician said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to appear as a true statesman.

“It says a lot how little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would recognise as being crafted in a specific manner to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she noted.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence before the release of the investigation, Farage’s representatives claimed that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever engaged in, supported, or led this behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his position in an discussion, saying: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could see as being banter, you could interpret in a modern light today in some way? Yes.”

He commented that he had “never directly attempted to go and harm anybody”. Farage afterwards issued a fresh denial: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been reported when I was 13, nearly 50 years ago.”