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The UK's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has called on Nigel Farage to apologise to former schoolmates who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their years in education.

Hermer said that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, according to their accounts of his past behaviour. He added that the leader's "evolving" denials had been unconvincing.

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

Further Testimonies Come to Light

A published report last month detailed the testimony of more than a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, Peter Ettedgui, said that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and say: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, sometimes adding a long hiss to mimic the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority claimed that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a older Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil with two equally tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the person said. “That included me on three separate times; questioning me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

After the story broke, additional individuals have come forward; about 20 people have now alleged they were either subject to or witnesses to deeply offensive conduct by Farage.

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

Changing Stories

The political figure has rejected that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the former classmates were being untruthful.

Observers have highlighted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his responses.

They also reference his inability to sanction a party member, Sarah Pochin, after she expressed views about the number of black and brown people she saw in television commercials. She later said sorry for the remarks.

“His constantly changing story about his behaviour to his peers [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He went on to say: “Suggesting that a group of people have all forgotten the same things about his nasty behaviour simply is not believable."

Call for Leadership

“If he wishes to be seen as a serious contender for the top job, he urgently needs confront the concerns of the Jewish community, and apologise to the numerous individuals he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

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

In a different discussion, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to appear as a real leader.

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would identify as being drafted in a specific manner to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she noted.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In legal letters before the publication of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers asserted that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever engaged in, supported, or led this behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later appeared to change his explanation in an appearance, saying: “Have I said things as a youth that you could view as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in a certain manner? Yes.”

He commented that he had “not ever purposely really tried to go and upset anybody”. Farage later released a further comment: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been reported aged 13, nearly 50 years ago.”