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The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has called on Nigel Farage to apologise to school contemporaries who assert he racially abused them during their years in education.

Hermer said that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their accounts of his alleged conduct. He noted that the leader's "constantly changing" explanations had been less than credible.

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

New Allegations Emerge

A series of inquiries last month documented the statements of more than a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a private college.

One, Peter Ettedgui, said that a 13-year-old Farage "came up to me and say: ‘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 with two equally tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the person said. “That involved me on three occasions; questioning me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

After the story broke, more people have come forward; about 20 people have now stated they were either subject to or witnesses to hurtful conduct by Farage.

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

Changing Stories

The Reform leader has rejected that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the accusers were being untruthful.

Critics have pointed out that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his responses.

They also cite his failure to reprimand a colleague in his party, 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 constantly changing story about his behaviour to his peers [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He went on to say: “Arguing that a group of people have all forgotten the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply is not believable."

Demand for Accountability

“If he wishes to be seen as a legitimate candidate for high office, he urgently needs acknowledge the concerns of the Jewish people, and apologise to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Prejudice in all its forms is abhorrent to the principles of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become legitimised in politics.”

In a other comments, a senior politician said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to appear as a real 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 written in a specific manner to communicate, but also avoid saying certain things,” she noted.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In lawyers' communications prior to the publication of the report, Farage’s representatives asserted that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever was involved in, condoned, or led this behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later appeared to change his explanation in an interview, stating: “Did I say things decades ago that you could view as being banter, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some way? Yes.”

He added that he had “not ever purposely sought to go and harm anybody”. Farage later released a further comment: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been published aged 13, decades in the past.”