The United Kingdom's attorney general, Richard Hermer, has called on the Reform UK leader to apologise to former schoolmates who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their years in education.
Hermer said that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, according to their descriptions of his past behaviour. He added that the politician's "constantly changing" denials had been difficult to believe.
“Throughout his answers to valid inquiries, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a news outlet.
A published report last month outlined the testimony of several former classmates of Farage from Dulwich College.
One, Peter Ettedgui, said that a teenage Farage "would sidle up to me and utter: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, occasionally including a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas showers”.
Another pupil from an ethnic minority claimed that when he was about nine, he was subjected to similar treatment by a older Farage.
“He approached a pupil with two equally tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the person said. “That included me on three separate times; questioning me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you said you were from.”
Since then, additional individuals have come forward; approximately twenty people have now claimed they were either subject to or observed deeply offensive actions by Farage.
The incidents they recounted relate to the period when Farage was aged a teenager.
The political figure has rejected that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the accusers were not telling the truth.
Critics have noted that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his responses.
They also cite his failure to sanction a colleague in his party, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later said sorry for the statements.
“His shifting account about his behaviour to his peers [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer said.
He continued: “Arguing that 20 people have somehow forgotten the same things about his nasty behaviour simply isn’t credible."
“If he wants to be seen as a legitimate candidate for prime minister, he must address the anxieties of the Jewish community, and apologise to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.
“Racism in all its forms is abhorrent to the standards of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become legitimised in public life.”
In a separate interview, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to look like a genuine leader.
“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would understand as being crafted in a certain style to say something, but also not to say something,” she said.
In legal letters before the publication of the report, Farage’s legal team asserted that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever took part in, condoned, or led this behaviour is strongly rejected”.
Farage later appeared to change his stance in an appearance, saying: “Did I say things decades ago that you could interpret as being banter, you could interpret in a modern light today in a certain manner? Possibly.”
He commented that he had “not ever purposely sought to go and hurt anybody”. Farage afterwards released a further comment: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been published aged 13, so long ago.”
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