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The United Kingdom's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has demanded the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to school contemporaries who allege he targeted with racist abuse them during their time at school.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, based on their accounts of his past behaviour. He added that the politician's "shifting" statements had been less than credible.

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

Fresh Claims Come to Light

A recent investigation last month detailed the statements of several one-time schoolmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, Peter Ettedgui, recalled that a 13-year-old Farage "came up to me and utter: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, occasionally including a long hiss to simulate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil stated that when he was roughly nine years old, he was singled out by a older Farage.

“He approached a pupil with two equally tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the person said. “That involved me on three occasions; questioning me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”

Since then, additional individuals have stepped forward; around two dozen people have now alleged they were either targets of or saw hurtful actions by Farage.

The incidents they described cover the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Denials and Shifting Positions

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

Commentators have pointed out that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his statements.

They also reference his failure to sanction a party member, a MP, after she expressed views about the number of people of colour she saw in television commercials. She later apologised for the statements.

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

He continued: “Claiming that two dozen individuals have somehow misremembered the same things about his nasty behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Call for Leadership

“If he aspires to be seen as a credible figure for high office, he urgently needs acknowledge the concerns of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Prejudice in all its forms is abhorrent to the principles of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become normalised in politics.”

In a separate interview, the Chancellor said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to be considered a genuine leader.

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

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In lawyers' communications before the release of the investigation, Farage’s legal team asserted that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever took part in, approved of, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later appeared to change his stance in an appearance, stating: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could see as being playground talk, you could interpret in a today's standards today in a certain manner? Perhaps.”

He said that he had “not ever purposely sought 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, so long ago.”