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The UK's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has urged Nigel Farage to apologise to school contemporaries who assert he racially abused them during their years in education.

Hermer stated that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their testimonies of his actions as a youth. He noted that the leader's "evolving" explanations had been less than credible.

“Throughout his answers to valid inquiries, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a publication.

Further Testimonies Surface

A recent investigation last month documented the statements of over a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from a south London school.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a teenage Farage "came up to me and growl: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, sometimes adding a long hiss to simulate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil stated that when he was about nine, he was subjected to similar treatment by a older Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil flanked by two tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the person said. “That included me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to any place you replied you were from.”

Since then, additional individuals have come forward; around two dozen people have now stated they were either subject to or saw highly inappropriate past behaviour by Farage.

The behaviour they outlined relate to the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Denials and Shifting Positions

The Reform leader has denied that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the accusers were misremembering.

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

They also cite his reluctance to sanction a fellow Reform MP, a MP, after she made remarks about the number of people of colour she saw in television commercials. She later expressed regret for the remarks.

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

He went on to say: “Suggesting that two dozen individuals have all recalled incorrectly the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply is not believable."

Demand for Accountability

“If he wishes to be seen as a credible figure for high office, he must confront the fears of the Jewish community, and apologise to the many people he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Bigotry in all its forms is abhorrent to the values of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become normalised in public life.”

In a different discussion, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to appear as a true statesman.

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would recognise as being written in a particular way to communicate, but also dodge the issue,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In formal correspondence before the release of the report, Farage’s lawyers stated that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever was involved in, condoned, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later altered his stance in an appearance, saying: “Did I say things decades ago that you could see as being banter, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some sort of way? Perhaps.”

He commented that he had “never directly attempted to go and hurt anybody”. Farage later issued a further comment: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been printed aged 13, decades in the past.”