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

Hermer remarked that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, according to their descriptions of his past behaviour. He commented that the politician's "shifting" denials had been less than credible.

“In his defensive responses to valid inquiries, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a news outlet.

New Allegations Surface

A series of inquiries last month documented the statements of over a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a private college.

One, Peter Ettedgui, recalled that a teenage Farage "came up to me and say: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, at times making a long hiss to simulate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another student of colour claimed that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a older Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil flanked by two similarly tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘other’,” the person said. “That happened to me on three separate times; asking me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

After the story broke, others have come forward; about 20 people have now alleged they were either targets of or observed hurtful conduct by Farage.

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

Evolving Explanations

The political figure has disputed that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the former classmates were not telling the truth.

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

They also cite his failure to discipline a party member, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts. She later said sorry for the comments.

“His evolving narrative about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He went on to say: “Arguing that a group of people have all misremembered the same things about his offensive behaviour simply is not believable."

Demand for Accountability

“If he aspires to be seen as a serious contender for high office, he urgently needs acknowledge the anxieties of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the those he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Racism in all its forms is completely opposed to the values of this country and we must not permit it to ever become legitimised in politics.”

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

“It says a lot how little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would recognise as being written in a specific manner to communicate, but also avoid saying certain things,” she remarked.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In lawyers' communications before the publication of the investigation, Farage’s legal team claimed that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever engaged in, supported, or led this behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later appeared to change his position in an discussion, saying: “Did I say things as a youth that you could interpret as being playground talk, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some way? Perhaps.”

He added that he had “never directly sought to go and upset anybody”. Farage subsequently put out a further comment: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been printed aged 13, so long ago.”