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The United Kingdom's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has urged the Reform UK leader to apologise to former schoolmates who assert he targeted with racist abuse them during their time at school.

Hermer said that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, based on their accounts of his alleged conduct. He noted that the leader's "shifting" denials had been unconvincing.

“In his defensive responses to legitimate questions, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a news outlet.

Fresh Claims Surface

A published report last month documented the testimony of over a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, a former pupil, said that a 13-year-old Farage "came up to me and utter: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, occasionally including a long hiss to mimic the sound of the gas showers”.

Another student of colour alleged that when he was roughly nine years old, he was singled out by a older Farage.

“He came over to a pupil accompanied by two similarly tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘other’,” the former student 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 replied you were from.”

Following the initial report, additional individuals have stepped forward; approximately twenty people have now stated they were either subject to or observed hurtful actions by Farage.

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

Denials and Shifting Positions

The Reform leader has disputed that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the individuals were misremembering.

Observers have highlighted that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his denials.

They also reference his failure to discipline a colleague in his party, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the comments.

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

He went on to say: “Claiming that a group of people have all recalled incorrectly the same things about his nasty behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Demand for Accountability

“If he aspires to be seen as a serious contender for the top job, he must address the concerns of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the many people he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

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

In a separate interview, a senior politician said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to be considered a genuine leader.

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

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In lawyers' communications prior to the publication of the report, Farage’s lawyers claimed that “the implication that Mr Farage ever was involved in, supported, or led this behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later appeared to change his stance in an appearance, remarking: “Have I said things as a youth that you could see as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a modern light today in some way? Possibly.”

He commented that he had “not ever purposely sought to go and upset anybody”. Farage later 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, so long ago.”