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The United Kingdom's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has demanded Nigel Farage to apologise to former schoolmates who claim he racially abused them during their school days.

Hermer stated that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, based on their descriptions of his actions as a youth. He commented that the politician's "evolving" explanations had been difficult to believe.

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

Fresh Claims Come to Light

A published report last month detailed the accounts of more than a dozen former classmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, a former pupil, said that a teenage Farage "came up to me and growl: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, occasionally including a long hiss to simulate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil claimed that when he was about nine, he was singled out by a older Farage.

“He came over to a pupil flanked by two tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the former student said. “That included me on three separate times; asking me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you said you were from.”

After the story broke, additional individuals have emerged; around two dozen people have now alleged they were either targets of or saw hurtful actions by Farage.

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

Denials and Shifting Positions

The political figure has denied that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the accusers were being untruthful.

Critics have noted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his responses.

They also reference his inability to discipline a party member, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the remarks.

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

He went on to say: “Arguing that a group of people have somehow misremembered the same things about his nasty behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Call for Leadership

“If he wants to be seen as a credible figure for prime minister, he has to acknowledge the anxieties of the Jewish people, and apologise to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Racism in all its forms is abhorrent to the principles of this country and we must not permit it to ever become normalised in society.”

In a separate interview, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to be considered a real leader.

“It is very telling how little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would understand as being drafted in a particular way to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she said.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In lawyers' communications before the publication of the investigation, Farage’s representatives claimed that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever was involved in, supported, or led such conduct is strongly rejected”.

Farage later appeared to change his explanation in an interview, saying: “Did I say things as a youth that you could interpret as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a modern light today in some way? Yes.”

He added that he had “not once intentionally really tried to go and upset anybody”. Farage later released a further comment: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been reported when I was 13, so long ago.”