Top Law Officer Urges Reform UK Leader to Apologise Over Alleged Racism and Antisemitism.

The United Kingdom's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has demanded Nigel Farage to apologise to school contemporaries who assert he targeted with racist abuse them during their time at school.

Hermer stated that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, judging by their descriptions of his actions as a youth. He noted that the politician's "constantly changing" statements had been unconvincing.

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

New Allegations Come to Light

A series of inquiries last month documented the statements of more than a dozen former classmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a 13-year-old Farage "came up to me and growl: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, sometimes adding a long hiss to imitate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority alleged that when he was roughly nine years old, he was singled out by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He came over to a pupil with two tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the person said. “That involved me on three occasions; questioning me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

After the story broke, more people have come forward; about 20 people have now stated they were either targets of or saw deeply offensive past behaviour by Farage.

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

Denials and Shifting Positions

The political figure has disputed that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the accusers were misremembering.

Critics have noted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his responses.

They also reference his inability to reprimand a party member, a MP, after she expressed views about the number of black and brown people she saw in television commercials. She later expressed regret for the comments.

“Nigel Farage’s evolving narrative about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He continued: “Claiming that a group of people have somehow forgotten the same things about his offensive behaviour simply is not believable."

Question of Character

“If he wishes to be seen as a legitimate candidate for the top job, he urgently needs confront the fears of the Jewish community, and apologise to the those he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Racism in all its forms is completely opposed to the values of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become normalised in public life.”

In a separate interview, the Chancellor said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to look like a true statesman.

“It says a lot how very little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would identify as being written in a specific manner to say something, but also not to say something,” she remarked.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence before the release of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers asserted that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever engaged in, approved of, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later altered his explanation in an appearance, stating: “Did I say things as a youth that you could interpret as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some way? Possibly.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally sought to go and upset anybody”. Farage later released a further comment: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been printed aged 13, nearly 50 years ago.”

Erica Meyer
Erica Meyer

A tech journalist based in Stockholm, covering Nordic startups and digital transformation with over a decade of experience.