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The United Kingdom's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has demanded Nigel Farage to apologise to former schoolmates who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their time at school.

Hermer said that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, judging by their accounts of his alleged conduct. He commented that the leader's "constantly changing" explanations had been difficult to believe.

“In his answers to legitimate questions, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a news outlet.

Fresh Claims Come to Light

A series of inquiries last month outlined the accounts of several former classmates of Farage from a private college.

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

Another student of colour stated that when he was about nine, he was singled out by a older Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil flanked by two similarly tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘other’,” the person said. “That happened to me on three occasions; inquiring where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

Since then, others have emerged; around two dozen people have now claimed they were either victims of or saw deeply offensive conduct by Farage.

The alleged events they recounted relate to the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Evolving Explanations

The political figure has rejected that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the former classmates were not telling the truth.

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

They also cite his reluctance to discipline a colleague in his party, a MP, after she complained about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the statements.

“Nigel Farage’s shifting account about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He added: “Suggesting that a group of people have somehow forgotten the same things about his offensive behaviour simply is not believable."

Demand for Accountability

“If he aspires to be seen as a serious contender for the top job, he urgently needs address the fears of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the numerous individuals he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

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

In a other comments, the Chancellor said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to look like a genuine leader.

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would recognise as being written in a particular way to say something, but also not to say something,” she noted.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In formal correspondence before the publication of the report, Farage’s lawyers stated that “the implication that Mr Farage ever engaged in, condoned, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later appeared to change his explanation in an interview, stating: “Have I said things decades ago that you could view as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a modern light today in some way? Yes.”

He added that he had “not ever purposely attempted to go and hurt anybody”. Farage afterwards released a fresh denial: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been reported aged 13, so long ago.”