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The United Kingdom's attorney general, Richard Hermer, has called on the Reform UK leader to apologise to former schoolmates who assert he racially abused them during their school days.

Hermer said that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, according to their testimonies of his actions as a youth. He added that the politician's "evolving" denials had been unconvincing.

“Throughout his defensive responses to legitimate questions, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a publication.

New Allegations Surface

A recent investigation last month documented the accounts of over a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a private college.

One, Peter Ettedgui, recalled that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and growl: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, at times making a long hiss to imitate 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 accompanied by two equally tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the former student said. “That involved me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”

Following the initial report, additional individuals have come forward; about 20 people have now claimed they were either subject to or witnesses to highly inappropriate conduct by Farage.

The behaviour they described relate to the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Changing Stories

The Reform leader has denied that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the accusers were being untruthful.

Commentators have pointed out that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his denials.

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

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

He went on to say: “Arguing that a group of people have all misremembered the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Call for Leadership

“If he wants to be seen as a credible figure for prime minister, he urgently needs address the concerns of the Jewish people, and apologise to the numerous individuals he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“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 separate interview, a senior politician said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to appear as 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 prior to the release of the investigation, Farage’s representatives asserted that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever took part in, approved of, or led this behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later altered his position in an interview, remarking: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could interpret as being banter, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some sort of way? Yes.”

He commented that he had “not ever purposely sought to go and hurt anybody”. Farage later issued a new statement: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been published as a 13-year-old, so long ago.”