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The UK's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has urged Nigel Farage to issue an apology to former schoolmates who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their time at school.

Hermer stated that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, according to their testimonies of his actions as a youth. He added that the politician's "shifting" denials had been less than credible.

“During his replies to legitimate questions, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a publication.

Further Testimonies Surface

A published report last month outlined the testimony of several one-time schoolmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, Peter Ettedgui, described that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and utter: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, occasionally including a long hiss to mimic the sound of the gas showers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority claimed that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a older Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil with two tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the former student said. “That included me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you said you were from.”

Since then, more people have stepped forward; approximately twenty people have now stated they were either victims of or saw highly inappropriate past behaviour by Farage.

The incidents they outlined span the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Evolving Explanations

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

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

They also cite his reluctance to discipline a colleague in his party, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of black and brown people she saw in television commercials. She later apologised for the remarks.

“Nigel Farage’s shifting account about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer said.

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

Demand for Accountability

“If he wants to be seen as a credible figure for high office, he urgently needs address the anxieties of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the those he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Prejudice in all its forms is anathema to the principles of this country and we must not permit it to ever become normalised in public life.”

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

“It is very telling how very little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would recognise as being drafted in a particular way to communicate, but also not to say something,” she said.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In formal correspondence prior to the publication of the report, Farage’s legal team asserted that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever took part in, supported, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later appeared to change his explanation in an interview, saying: “Did I say things 50 years ago that you could see as being banter, you could interpret in a today's standards today in a certain manner? Possibly.”

He added that he had “not ever purposely really tried to go and hurt anybody”. Farage afterwards put out a fresh denial: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been reported aged 13, so long ago.”