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The United Kingdom's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has called on the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to former schoolmates who claim he racially abused them during their school days.

Hermer said that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, based on their accounts of his actions as a youth. He noted that the leader's "evolving" explanations had been difficult to believe.

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

Fresh Claims Come to Light

A recent investigation last month detailed the statements of over a dozen former classmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, Peter Ettedgui, described that a 13-year-old Farage "would approach me and growl: ‘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 roughly nine years old, he was singled out by a older Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil flanked by two tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the person said. “That happened to me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you said you were from.”

After the story broke, more people have come forward; approximately twenty people have now claimed they were either victims of or witnesses to highly inappropriate conduct by Farage.

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

Changing Stories

The Reform leader has rejected that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the individuals were not telling the truth.

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

They also reference his reluctance to reprimand a party member, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the comments.

“Nigel Farage’s constantly changing story about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He went on to say: “Claiming that 20 people have all misremembered the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply is not believable."

Question of Character

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

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

In a separate interview, a senior politician said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to appear as a genuine leader.

“It says a lot how little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would recognise as being crafted in a specific manner to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she noted.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In legal letters prior to the publication of the investigation, Farage’s legal team stated that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever engaged in, approved of, or led such conduct is completely refuted”.

Farage later appeared to change his stance in an appearance, stating: “Did I say things 50 years ago that you could see as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a modern light today in a certain manner? Perhaps.”

He commented that he had “not ever purposely really tried to go and harm anybody”. Farage afterwards released a further comment: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been reported as a 13-year-old, nearly 50 years ago.”