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The United Kingdom's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has urged Nigel Farage to apologise to former schoolmates who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their time at school.

Hermer stated that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, judging by their descriptions of his past behaviour. He noted that the politician's "constantly changing" denials had been difficult to believe.

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

Further Testimonies Surface

A series of inquiries last month detailed the testimony of several former classmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a 13-year-old Farage "came up to 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 Nazi gas chambers”.

Another student of colour alleged that when he was roughly nine years old, he was subjected to similar treatment by a older Farage.

“He approached a pupil flanked by two equally tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the individual said. “That involved me on three occasions; inquiring where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to wherever you said you were from.”

After the story broke, others have emerged; approximately twenty people have now claimed they were either subject to or observed highly inappropriate conduct by Farage.

The behaviour they recounted cover the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Denials and Shifting Positions

The Reform leader has rejected that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the accusers were not telling the truth.

Commentators have noted that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his responses.

They also point to his failure to reprimand a colleague in his party, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of people of colour she saw in television commercials. She later apologised for the remarks.

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

He continued: “Arguing that a group of people have somehow misremembered the same things about his offensive behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Question of Character

“If he wants to be seen as a legitimate candidate for prime minister, he must acknowledge the anxieties of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the many people he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

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

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

“It says a lot how very little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would understand as being crafted in a specific manner to say something, but also not to say something,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In legal letters prior to the publication of the investigation, Farage’s representatives stated 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: “Did I say things decades ago that you could interpret as being banter, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some sort of way? Possibly.”

He said that he had “not once intentionally attempted to go and hurt anybody”. Farage later released a new statement: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been reported when I was 13, decades in the past.”