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The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has urged Nigel Farage to issue an apology to former schoolmates who assert he racially abused them during their time at school.

Hermer stated that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their accounts of his past behaviour. He commented that the leader's "constantly changing" explanations had been less than credible.

“During his replies to legitimate questions, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a news outlet.

New Allegations Emerge

A recent investigation last month detailed the testimony of several one-time schoolmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and growl: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, at times making a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority alleged that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He approached a pupil with two similarly tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘other’,” the person said. “That involved me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to any place you said you were from.”

Following the initial report, additional individuals have come forward; about 20 people have now stated they were either subject to or observed highly inappropriate conduct by Farage.

The incidents they described relate to the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Changing Stories

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

Commentators have highlighted that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his responses.

They also point to his inability to sanction a party member, a MP, after she expressed views about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later expressed regret for the remarks.

“His shifting account about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He continued: “Claiming that two dozen individuals have somehow forgotten the same things about his nasty behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Question of Character

“If he aspires to be seen as a credible figure for the top job, he urgently needs address the anxieties of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the numerous individuals he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

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

In a different discussion, a senior politician said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to appear as a real leader.

“It says a lot how very little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would identify as being crafted in a particular way to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she remarked.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In legal letters before the release of the report, Farage’s representatives claimed that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever engaged in, supported, or led this behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his stance in an appearance, remarking: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could see as being playground talk, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some way? Yes.”

He said that he had “not ever purposely sought to go and harm anybody”. Farage subsequently put out a fresh denial: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been printed as a 13-year-old, so long ago.”