Top Law Officer Calls On Reform UK Leader to Apologise Over Reported Racism and Antisemitism.
The United Kingdom's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has called on Nigel Farage to apologise to school contemporaries who assert he targeted with racist abuse them during their years in education.
Hermer stated that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, according to their descriptions of his actions as a youth. He added that the leader's "shifting" explanations had been less than credible.
“During his defensive responses to valid inquiries, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a news outlet.
Fresh Claims Emerge
A published report last month outlined the statements of over a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from Dulwich College.
One, a former pupil, said that a 13-year-old Farage "came up to 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 student of colour claimed that when he was roughly nine years old, he was singled out by a older Farage.
“He walked up to a pupil accompanied by two similarly tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘other’,” the individual said. “That included me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to wherever you answered you were from.”
Following the initial report, others have stepped forward; about 20 people have now alleged they were either targets of or observed highly inappropriate actions by Farage.
The alleged events they described cover the period when Farage was aged a teenager.
Evolving Explanations
The political figure has disputed that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the former classmates were being untruthful.
Critics have pointed out that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his responses.
They also reference his inability to discipline a colleague in his party, a MP, after she expressed views about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later said sorry 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 two dozen individuals have somehow misremembered the same things about his nasty behaviour simply is not believable."
Demand for Accountability
“If he aspires to be seen as a serious contender for prime minister, he urgently needs confront the fears of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the those he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.
“Racism in all its forms is completely opposed to the values of this country and we must not permit it to ever become accepted in public life.”
In a separate interview, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to appear as a genuine leader.
“It is very telling how little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would recognise as being crafted in a certain style to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she remarked.
Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments
In legal letters before the release of the report, Farage’s representatives asserted that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever engaged in, supported, or led this behaviour is categorically denied”.
Farage later seemingly shifted his position in an appearance, remarking: “Did I say things as a youth that you could view as being playground talk, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some sort of way? Possibly.”
He said that he had “not ever purposely attempted to go and upset anybody”. Farage later released a fresh denial: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been reported when I was 13, nearly 50 years ago.”