🔗 Share this article

The United Kingdom's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has called on the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to former schoolmates who allege he targeted with racist abuse them during their time at school.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, according to their descriptions of his past behaviour. He noted that the politician's "evolving" denials had been unconvincing.

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

Further Testimonies Come to Light

A series of inquiries last month outlined the testimony of over a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from a private college.

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

Another minority ethnic pupil claimed that when he was about nine, he was singled out by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He came over to a pupil with two tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘other’,” the person said. “That involved me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to any place you said you were from.”

Following the initial report, more people have come forward; approximately twenty people have now alleged they were either victims of or witnesses to deeply offensive actions by Farage.

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

Denials and Shifting Positions

The political figure has rejected that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the former classmates were being untruthful.

Commentators have noted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his statements.

They also cite his inability to sanction a colleague in his party, Sarah Pochin, after she expressed views about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the comments.

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

He added: “Arguing that two dozen individuals have somehow misremembered the same things about his nasty behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Demand for Accountability

“If he aspires to be seen as a credible figure for the top job, he has to acknowledge the concerns of the Jewish people, and apologise to the numerous individuals he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Racism in all its forms is abhorrent to the values of this country and we must not permit it to ever become normalised in politics.”

In a different discussion, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to look like a real leader.

“It is very telling how very little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would recognise as being drafted in a specific manner to say something, but also dodge the issue,” she said.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence prior to the publication of the report, Farage’s legal team claimed that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever engaged in, supported, or led such conduct is strongly rejected”.

Farage later altered his stance in an interview, remarking: “Have I said things decades ago that you could interpret as being banter, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some way? Possibly.”

He commented that he had “not ever purposely attempted to go and harm anybody”. Farage later issued a new statement: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been printed aged 13, nearly 50 years ago.”