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The United Kingdom's attorney general, Richard Hermer, has demanded the Reform UK leader to apologise to former schoolmates who assert he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

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

“During his replies to valid inquiries, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a news outlet.

Further Testimonies Emerge

A published report last month detailed the accounts of over a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from a south London school.

One, Peter Ettedgui, said that a 13-year-old Farage "would approach me and growl: ‘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 claimed that when he was about nine, he was similarly targeted by a older Farage.

“He came over to a pupil with two similarly tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the individual said. “That happened to me on three occasions; questioning me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you answered you were from.”

Since then, additional individuals have stepped forward; about 20 people have now stated they were either subject to or witnesses to deeply offensive conduct by Farage.

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

Denials and Shifting Positions

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

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

They also reference his inability to discipline a fellow Reform MP, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of black and brown people she saw in television commercials. She later apologised for the remarks.

“His shifting account about his behaviour to his peers [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He went on to say: “Arguing that 20 people have somehow recalled incorrectly the same things about his offensive behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Call for Leadership

“If he wishes to be seen as a serious contender for high office, he has to address the fears of the Jewish people, and apologise to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Bigotry in all its forms is abhorrent to the standards of this country and we must not permit it to ever become legitimised in public life.”

In a other comments, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to be considered a real leader.

“It says a lot how very little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would understand as being crafted in a certain style to communicate, but also not to say something,” she noted.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

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

Farage later altered his explanation in an appearance, saying: “Did I say things as a youth that you could interpret as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a modern light today in some way? Perhaps.”

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