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The United Kingdom's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has urged Nigel Farage to apologise to former schoolmates who allege he racially abused them during their time at school.

Hermer stated that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, according to their descriptions of his actions as a youth. He commented that the leader's "evolving" statements had been unconvincing.

“In his answers to valid inquiries, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a publication.

New Allegations Come to Light

A published report last month outlined the testimony of several ex-pupils of Farage from a private college.

One, a former pupil, said that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and say: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, occasionally including a long hiss to imitate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil stated that when he was about nine, he was subjected to similar treatment by a older Farage.

“He came over to a pupil flanked by two equally tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘other’,” the individual said. “That included me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to wherever you answered you were from.”

Since then, others have stepped forward; approximately twenty people have now claimed they were either victims of or witnesses to hurtful conduct by Farage.

The behaviour they outlined cover the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Denials and Shifting Positions

The Reform leader has disputed that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the former classmates were misremembering.

Observers have pointed out that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his statements.

They also cite his inability to sanction a fellow Reform MP, a MP, after she expressed views about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later said sorry for the comments.

“Nigel Farage’s constantly changing story about his behaviour to his peers [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He went on to say: “Claiming that 20 people have all forgotten the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Call for Leadership

“If he wishes to be seen as a serious contender for prime minister, he urgently needs acknowledge the concerns of the Jewish people, and apologise to the those he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

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

In a different discussion, the Chancellor said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to appear as a genuine leader.

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would identify as being written in a certain style to communicate, but also not to say something,” she said.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In lawyers' communications before the release of the report, Farage’s representatives stated that “the implication that Mr Farage ever took part in, supported, or led this behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later altered his position in an interview, remarking: “Did I say things as a youth that you could interpret as being playground talk, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some way? Perhaps.”

He said that he had “not once intentionally sought to go and hurt anybody”. Farage later released a new statement: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been reported aged 13, nearly 50 years ago.”