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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 said that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their accounts of his actions as a youth. He added that the leader's "shifting" explanations had been unconvincing.

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

Fresh Claims Emerge

A published report last month documented the accounts of several former classmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a 13-year-old Farage "would approach me and say: ‘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 minority ethnic pupil alleged that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He approached a pupil accompanied by two similarly tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘other’,” the person said. “That involved me on three occasions; inquiring where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”

Following the initial report, others have emerged; approximately twenty people have now alleged they were either targets of or observed deeply offensive conduct by Farage.

The alleged events they recounted cover the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Evolving Explanations

The Reform leader has disputed that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the former classmates were misremembering.

Commentators have highlighted that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his denials.

They also point to his reluctance to discipline a colleague in his party, a MP, after she made remarks about the number of black and brown people she saw in television commercials. She later apologised for the statements.

“Nigel Farage’s constantly changing story about his behaviour to his peers [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He added: “Arguing that 20 people have all misremembered the same things about his offensive behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Demand for Accountability

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

“Prejudice in all its forms is completely opposed to the values of this country and we must not permit it to ever become legitimised in society.”

In a separate interview, a senior politician said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to be considered a real leader.

“It is very telling how little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would recognise as being written in a particular way to communicate, but also dodge the issue,” she said.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence prior to the publication of the investigation, Farage’s representatives claimed that “the implication that Mr Farage ever took part in, supported, or led such conduct is categorically denied”.

Farage later appeared to change his explanation in an discussion, remarking: “Did I say things as a youth that you could interpret as being banter, you could interpret in a today's standards today in a certain manner? Possibly.”

He said that he had “not once intentionally really tried to go and harm anybody”. Farage afterwards issued a new statement: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been reported as a 13-year-old, so long ago.”