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The United Kingdom's attorney general, Richard Hermer, has called on Nigel Farage to apologise to former schoolmates who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

Hermer stated that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, according to their testimonies of his past behaviour. He added that the leader's "evolving" denials had been unconvincing.

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

Fresh Claims Emerge

A published report last month detailed the accounts of several one-time schoolmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a teenage Farage "came up to me and utter: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, at times making a long hiss to imitate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another student of colour claimed that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a older Farage.

“He approached a pupil flanked by two similarly tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the person said. “That happened to me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

Following the initial report, more people have stepped forward; approximately twenty people have now alleged they were either targets of or observed highly inappropriate past behaviour by Farage.

The incidents they outlined cover the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Changing Stories

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

Observers have noted that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his statements.

They also reference his reluctance to reprimand a fellow Reform MP, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts. She later said sorry for the remarks.

“His constantly changing story about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He added: “Arguing that 20 people have somehow misremembered the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Question of Character

“If he wishes to be seen as a credible figure for prime minister, he has to address the fears of the Jewish community, and apologise to the numerous individuals he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

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

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

“It is very telling how little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would understand as being drafted in a specific manner to communicate, but also not to say something,” she remarked.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In legal letters prior to the release of the report, Farage’s legal team claimed that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever took part in, condoned, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later appeared to change his position in an discussion, stating: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could see as being banter, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some way? Possibly.”

He added that he had “not ever purposely attempted to go and hurt anybody”. Farage later issued 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.”