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The United Kingdom's attorney general, Richard Hermer, has demanded the Reform UK leader to apologise to school contemporaries who assert he racially abused them during their time at school.

Hermer stated that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their accounts of his actions as a youth. He added that the politician's "constantly changing" statements had been less than credible.

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

Fresh Claims Surface

A published report last month detailed the accounts of more than a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a private college.

One, a former pupil, said that a teenage Farage "came up to me and say: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, occasionally including a long hiss to imitate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority stated that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He came over to a pupil with two tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘other’,” the former student said. “That included me on three occasions; questioning me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you said you were from.”

Since then, additional individuals have come forward; about 20 people have now stated they were either victims of or saw deeply offensive actions by Farage.

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

Evolving Explanations

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

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

They also cite his failure to sanction a fellow Reform MP, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later said sorry for the comments.

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

He continued: “Claiming that 20 people have all recalled incorrectly the same things about his offensive behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Demand for Accountability

“If he aspires to be seen as a serious contender for high office, he must address the fears of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the those he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

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

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

“It speaks volumes how very little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would identify as being crafted in a certain style to communicate, but also dodge the issue,” she said.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In lawyers' communications before the publication of the report, Farage’s representatives stated that “the implication that Mr Farage ever engaged in, condoned, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later altered his explanation in an interview, remarking: “Did I say things decades ago that you could interpret as being banter, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some sort of way? Perhaps.”

He said that he had “never directly attempted to go and harm anybody”. Farage later released a fresh denial: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been printed when I was 13, nearly 50 years ago.”