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The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has urged Nigel Farage to issue an apology to former schoolmates who allege he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

Hermer stated that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, according to their accounts of his past behaviour. He commented that the politician's "constantly changing" explanations had been difficult to believe.

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

Further Testimonies Surface

A published report last month detailed the statements of over a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, Peter Ettedgui, said that a teenage Farage "would sidle up to me and growl: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, sometimes adding a long hiss to imitate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil alleged that when he was about nine, he was subjected to similar treatment by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil flanked by two tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the person said. “That included me on three separate times; questioning me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

After the story broke, others have stepped forward; about 20 people have now alleged they were either subject to or saw hurtful conduct by Farage.

The alleged events they outlined cover the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Changing Stories

The Reform leader has disputed that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the individuals were misremembering.

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

They also point to his reluctance to reprimand a party member, Sarah Pochin, after she expressed views about the number of people of colour she saw in television commercials. She later expressed regret for the remarks.

“Nigel Farage’s evolving narrative about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He added: “Claiming that 20 people have all misremembered the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply is not believable."

Question of Character

“If he wishes to be seen as a serious contender for high office, he must acknowledge the anxieties of the Jewish community, and apologise to the those he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

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

In a other comments, the Chancellor said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to be considered a true statesman.

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

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In lawyers' communications before the publication of the report, Farage’s representatives claimed that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever engaged in, supported, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later appeared to change his explanation in an discussion, stating: “Have I said things as a youth that you could interpret as being playground talk, you could interpret in a modern light today in some way? Perhaps.”

He commented that he had “not ever purposely sought to go and hurt anybody”. Farage subsequently released a further comment: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been printed when I was 13, nearly 50 years ago.”