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The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has called on the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to school contemporaries who claim he racially abused them during their school days.

Hermer stated that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, judging by their descriptions of his past behaviour. He commented that the politician's "evolving" denials had been difficult to believe.

“Throughout his replies to legitimate questions, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a publication.

Fresh Claims Come to Light

A published report last month documented the statements of several one-time schoolmates of Farage from a private college.

One, Peter Ettedgui, described that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and growl: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, occasionally including a long hiss to simulate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

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 flanked by two similarly tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘other’,” the individual said. “That happened to me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you said you were from.”

After the story broke, more people have emerged; about 20 people have now alleged they were either victims of or saw deeply offensive actions by Farage.

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

Denials and Shifting Positions

The political figure has rejected that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the former classmates were misremembering.

Observers have highlighted that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his statements.

They also reference his failure to reprimand a party member, a MP, after she expressed views about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in television commercials. She later expressed regret for the comments.

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

He added: “Arguing that 20 people have all misremembered the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Demand for Accountability

“If he wishes to be seen as a serious contender for prime minister, he urgently needs confront the fears of the Jewish community, and apologise to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Racism in all its forms is abhorrent to the principles of this country and we should not let it to ever become accepted in public life.”

In a separate interview, a senior politician said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to be considered a genuine leader.

“It is very telling how very little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would recognise as being drafted in a certain style to say something, but also not to say something,” she said.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In legal letters prior to the publication of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers stated that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever engaged in, approved of, or led this behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later appeared to change his explanation in an discussion, saying: “Have I said things as a youth that you could interpret as being banter, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some way? Yes.”

He commented that he had “never directly really tried to go and harm anybody”. Farage later released a further comment: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been reported when I was 13, nearly 50 years ago.”