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The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has demanded the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to former schoolmates who assert he racially abused them during their time at school.

Hermer said that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their testimonies of his alleged conduct. He noted that the leader's "evolving" statements had been less than credible.

“During his defensive responses to legitimate questions, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a publication.

Further Testimonies Surface

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

One, Peter Ettedgui, described that a teenage Farage "came up to me and utter: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, at times making a long hiss to imitate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another student of colour claimed that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He came over to a pupil with two similarly tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘different’,” the former student said. “That included me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

After the story broke, additional individuals have emerged; approximately twenty people have now claimed they were either targets of or witnesses to hurtful past behaviour by Farage.

The alleged events they outlined relate to the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Denials and Shifting Positions

The political figure has denied that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the individuals were misremembering.

Commentators have noted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his responses.

They also cite his inability to discipline a colleague in his party, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of people of colour she saw in television commercials. She later said sorry for the statements.

“Nigel Farage’s evolving narrative about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He added: “Suggesting that two dozen individuals have somehow recalled incorrectly the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Call for Leadership

“If he wishes to be seen as a serious contender for prime minister, he urgently needs address the fears of the Jewish people, and apologise to the numerous individuals he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Bigotry in all its forms is anathema to the values of this country and we must not permit it to ever become legitimised in politics.”

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

“It speaks volumes how very little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would recognise as being crafted in a certain style to communicate, but also avoid saying certain things,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In formal correspondence before the publication of the report, Farage’s lawyers asserted that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever was involved in, condoned, or led this behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later altered his stance in an appearance, remarking: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could interpret as being playground talk, you could interpret in a modern light today in a certain manner? Possibly.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally really tried to go and upset anybody”. Farage later released a new statement: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been published when I was 13, so long ago.”