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The UK's attorney general, Richard Hermer, has demanded the Reform UK leader to apologise to former schoolmates who allege he racially abused them during their years in education.

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

“Throughout his answers to valid inquiries, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a news outlet.

New Allegations Emerge

A series of inquiries last month documented the accounts of more than a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a private college.

One, Peter Ettedgui, said 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 gas showers”.

Another student of colour alleged that when he was roughly nine years old, he was subjected to similar treatment by a older Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil accompanied by two equally tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘different’,” the former student said. “That happened to me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you said you were from.”

Since then, more people have come forward; about 20 people have now claimed they were either subject to or observed highly inappropriate actions by Farage.

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

Changing Stories

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

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

They also reference his inability to discipline a party member, a MP, after she complained about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later expressed regret for the comments.

“His shifting account about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He continued: “Claiming that a group of people have somehow forgotten the same things about his nasty 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 fears of the Jewish community, and apologise to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Prejudice in all its forms is anathema to the standards of this country and we should not let it to ever become accepted in public life.”

In a other comments, a senior politician said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to be considered a genuine leader.

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

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In lawyers' communications prior to the publication of the investigation, Farage’s legal team stated that “the implication that Mr Farage ever engaged in, approved of, or led this behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his explanation in an appearance, remarking: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could interpret as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a today's standards today in a certain manner? Perhaps.”

He added that he had “never directly sought to go and harm anybody”. Farage subsequently issued a fresh denial: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been printed as a 13-year-old, so long ago.”