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The United Kingdom's attorney general, Richard Hermer, has called on Nigel Farage to issue an apology 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 accounts of his alleged conduct. He added that the politician's "evolving" statements had been difficult to believe.

“During his replies to valid inquiries, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a publication.

Further Testimonies Emerge

A recent investigation last month outlined the testimony of over a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from Dulwich College.

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

Another pupil from an ethnic minority alleged that when he was roughly nine years old, 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 ‘different’,” the person said. “That happened to me on three separate times; questioning me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to any place you replied you were from.”

Following the initial report, others have stepped forward; about 20 people have now claimed they were either subject to or witnesses to hurtful actions by Farage.

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

Changing Stories

The Reform leader has denied that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the accusers were being untruthful.

Commentators have highlighted that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his responses.

They also point to his reluctance to sanction a fellow Reform MP, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later expressed regret for the comments.

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

He went on to say: “Suggesting that 20 people have all forgotten the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply is not believable."

Demand for Accountability

“If he wants to be seen as a serious contender for the top job, he has to address the anxieties of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the numerous individuals he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Prejudice in all its forms is completely opposed to the standards of this country and we should not let it to ever become accepted in society.”

In a separate interview, the Chancellor said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to be considered a real leader.

“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 specific manner to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she said.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In legal letters before the release of the report, Farage’s representatives stated that “the implication that Mr Farage ever was involved in, approved of, or led this behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his explanation in an interview, saying: “Did I say things decades ago that you could view as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in a certain manner? Perhaps.”

He added that he had “never directly attempted to go and hurt anybody”. Farage afterwards released a further comment: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been printed as a 13-year-old, nearly 50 years ago.”