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The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has demanded Nigel Farage to apologise to former schoolmates who claim he racially abused them during their school days.

Hermer stated that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their descriptions of his alleged conduct. He added that the leader's "constantly changing" explanations had been difficult to believe.

“Throughout his answers to legitimate questions, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a news outlet.

Fresh Claims Emerge

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

One, Peter Ettedgui, described that a teenage Farage "would approach me and utter: ‘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 roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a older Farage.

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

Following the initial report, more people have stepped forward; approximately twenty people have now stated they were either victims of or witnesses to highly inappropriate actions by Farage.

The behaviour they outlined relate to the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Changing Stories

The political figure has denied that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the individuals were misremembering.

Commentators have highlighted that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his denials.

They also cite his reluctance to discipline a fellow Reform MP, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in television commercials. She later expressed regret for the statements.

“His constantly changing story about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He added: “Arguing that 20 people have all misremembered the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Call for Leadership

“If he aspires to be seen as a credible figure for the top job, he urgently needs address the concerns of the Jewish people, and apologise to the those he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Bigotry in all its forms is completely opposed to the values of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become legitimised in politics.”

In a other comments, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to look like a real leader.

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would recognise as being written in a certain style to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she said.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In formal correspondence prior to the publication of the report, Farage’s representatives stated that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever took part in, approved of, or led such conduct is categorically denied”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his position in an interview, stating: “Have I said things as a youth that you could interpret as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some sort of way? Yes.”

He commented that he had “never directly attempted to go and hurt anybody”. Farage later issued a further comment: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been published aged 13, so long ago.”