🔗 Share this article

The UK's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has called on the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to school contemporaries who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their time at school.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their testimonies of his alleged conduct. He noted that the leader's "constantly changing" denials had been unconvincing.

“In his replies to valid inquiries, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a publication.

Fresh Claims Emerge

A series of inquiries last month documented the accounts of several ex-pupils of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, a former pupil, said that a 13-year-old Farage "would approach 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 minority ethnic pupil alleged that when he was about nine, he was subjected to similar treatment by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He came over to a pupil with two equally tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the person said. “That included me on three occasions; inquiring where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you replied you were from.”

Since then, additional individuals have emerged; around two dozen people have now stated they were either targets of or saw highly inappropriate actions by Farage.

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

Changing Stories

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

Observers have pointed out that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his responses.

They also reference his failure to sanction a fellow Reform MP, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of people of colour she saw in television commercials. She later said sorry for the remarks.

“His constantly changing story about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

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

Demand for Accountability

“If he wants to be seen as a serious contender for high office, he urgently needs confront the fears of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the numerous individuals he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

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

In a separate interview, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to look like a genuine leader.

“It speaks volumes how very little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would identify as being crafted in a particular way to communicate, but also avoid saying certain things,” she remarked.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In legal letters prior to the release of the report, Farage’s legal team asserted that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever was involved in, supported, or led such conduct is completely refuted”.

Farage later appeared to change his position in an discussion, saying: “Did I say things decades ago that you could view as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a today's standards today in a certain manner? Possibly.”

He added that he had “not once intentionally sought to go and harm anybody”. Farage afterwards released a new statement: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been reported when I was 13, nearly 50 years ago.”