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

Hermer stated that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, according to their accounts of his actions as a youth. He added that the politician's "constantly changing" denials had been unconvincing.

“Throughout his replies to valid inquiries, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a publication.

New Allegations Come to Light

A published report last month detailed the accounts of over a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and growl: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, at times making a long hiss to mimic the sound of the gas showers”.

Another student of colour stated that when he was roughly nine years old, he was subjected to similar treatment by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He approached a pupil flanked by two equally tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the individual said. “That happened to me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you said you were from.”

Since then, additional individuals have come forward; approximately twenty people have now claimed they were either targets of or witnesses to hurtful past behaviour by Farage.

The behaviour they recounted cover the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Evolving Explanations

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

Critics have pointed out that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his statements.

They also reference his failure to sanction a colleague in his party, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the statements.

“His evolving narrative about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He continued: “Suggesting that a group of people have all forgotten the same things about his nasty behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Call for Leadership

“If he wishes to be seen as a serious contender for the top job, he must address the fears of the Jewish people, and apologise to the many people he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Prejudice in all its forms is abhorrent to the standards of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become normalised in politics.”

In a other comments, the Chancellor said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to be considered a genuine leader.

“It speaks volumes how very little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would identify as being crafted in a specific manner to communicate, but also avoid saying certain things,” she noted.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In legal letters prior to the release of the report, Farage’s legal team claimed that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever took part in, supported, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later altered his explanation in an discussion, stating: “Have I said things as a youth that you could see as being playground talk, you could interpret in a modern light today in some sort of way? Possibly.”

He commented that he had “never directly attempted to go and harm anybody”. Farage afterwards released a fresh denial: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been published as a 13-year-old, decades in the past.”