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The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has called on the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to former schoolmates who assert he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

Hermer said that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their testimonies of his past behaviour. He commented that the leader's "constantly changing" statements had been less than credible.

“Throughout his defensive responses to valid inquiries, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a publication.

Fresh Claims Emerge

A series of inquiries last month documented the testimony of over a dozen former classmates of Farage from a private college.

One, Peter Ettedgui, described that a 13-year-old Farage "would approach me and growl: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, at times making a long hiss to imitate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

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

“He walked up to a pupil accompanied by two 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 motioning, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to wherever you said you were from.”

Since then, additional individuals have stepped forward; about 20 people have now claimed they were either victims of or saw highly inappropriate past behaviour by Farage.

The behaviour they described cover the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Evolving Explanations

The Reform leader has disputed that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the accusers were being untruthful.

Commentators have noted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his statements.

They also cite his inability to discipline a fellow Reform MP, a MP, after she complained about the number of black and brown people she saw in television commercials. She later expressed regret for the comments.

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

He went on to say: “Claiming that 20 people have all misremembered the same things about his offensive behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Call for Leadership

“If he wishes to be seen as a legitimate candidate for the top job, he urgently needs acknowledge the concerns of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the numerous individuals he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“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 different discussion, the Chancellor said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to be considered a real leader.

“It says a lot how very little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would understand as being written in a certain style to say something, but also dodge the issue,” she said.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence before the publication of the investigation, Farage’s legal team asserted that “the implication that Mr Farage ever was involved in, approved of, or led this behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later appeared to change his explanation in an interview, stating: “Did I say things 50 years ago that you could view as being playground talk, you could interpret in a modern light today in some way? Yes.”

He commented that he had “not ever purposely attempted to go and hurt anybody”. Farage afterwards released a fresh denial: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been reported as a 13-year-old, nearly 50 years ago.”