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The United Kingdom's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has demanded the Reform UK leader to apologise to school contemporaries who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

Hermer stated that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their testimonies of his past behaviour. He added that the politician's "evolving" statements had been difficult to believe.

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

Further Testimonies Emerge

A recent investigation last month detailed the testimony of over a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a private college.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a teenage Farage "would approach me and say: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, sometimes adding a long hiss to imitate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another student of colour stated that when he was roughly nine years old, he was subjected to similar treatment by a older Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil accompanied by two similarly tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the former student said. “That included me on three separate times; asking me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”

Since then, more people have stepped forward; about 20 people have now stated they were either targets of or witnesses to highly inappropriate conduct by Farage.

The alleged events they recounted relate to the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Evolving Explanations

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

Critics have noted that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his denials.

They also cite his failure to discipline a colleague in his party, a MP, after she expressed views about the number of black and brown people she saw in television commercials. She later apologised for the comments.

“His shifting account about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He continued: “Arguing that a group of people have all forgotten the same things about his offensive behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Question of Character

“If he wishes to be seen as a legitimate candidate for prime minister, he urgently needs address the anxieties of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the those he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Prejudice in all its forms is abhorrent to the principles of this country and we must not permit it to ever become legitimised in public life.”

In a other comments, a senior politician 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 very careful language that both you and I would recognise as being drafted in a certain style to say something, but also dodge the issue,” she said.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In formal correspondence prior to the release of the investigation, Farage’s legal team claimed that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever engaged in, supported, or led such conduct is completely refuted”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his stance in an appearance, remarking: “Have I said things as a youth that you could see as being playground talk, you could interpret in a modern light today in a certain manner? Possibly.”

He said that he had “not ever purposely sought to go and hurt anybody”. Farage afterwards released a new statement: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been printed as a 13-year-old, decades in the past.”