Attorney General Calls On Reform UK Leader to Say Sorry Over Reported Racism and Antisemitism.

The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has demanded the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to former schoolmates who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their years in education.

Hermer said that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their accounts of his alleged conduct. He commented that the politician's "shifting" explanations had been unconvincing.

“During his defensive responses to valid inquiries, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a news outlet.

New Allegations Surface

A recent investigation last month outlined the testimony of several ex-pupils of Farage from a south London school.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and growl: ‘Hitler was right’ 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 about nine, he was similarly targeted by a older Farage.

“He approached a pupil with two equally tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the former student said. “That involved me on three occasions; questioning me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to any place you replied you were from.”

After the story broke, more people have emerged; around two dozen people have now alleged they were either targets of or witnesses to highly inappropriate actions by Farage.

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

Changing Stories

The political figure has disputed that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the former classmates were not telling the truth.

Critics 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 discipline a colleague in his party, a MP, after she complained about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the remarks.

“Nigel Farage’s shifting account about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He went on to say: “Claiming that 20 people have somehow recalled incorrectly the same things about his nasty behaviour simply is not believable."

Call for Leadership

“If he wants to be seen as a serious contender for prime minister, he has to acknowledge the fears of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

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

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

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

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In legal letters prior to the publication of the report, Farage’s representatives stated that “the implication that Mr Farage ever took part in, condoned, or led such conduct is categorically denied”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his position in an discussion, saying: “Did I say things as a youth that you could interpret as being playground talk, you could interpret in a modern light today in some sort of way? Perhaps.”

He added that he had “never directly sought to go and upset anybody”. Farage afterwards released a further comment: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been published as a 13-year-old, so long ago.”