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The United Kingdom's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has demanded the Reform UK leader to apologise to school contemporaries who assert he targeted with racist abuse them during their years in education.

Hermer stated that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their accounts of his past behaviour. He added that the politician's "constantly changing" statements had been difficult to believe.

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

Further Testimonies Surface

A series of inquiries last month detailed the testimony of more than a dozen former classmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, Peter Ettedgui, recalled that a 13-year-old Farage "would approach me and utter: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, sometimes adding a long hiss to mimic the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority stated that when he was roughly nine years old, he was subjected to similar treatment by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He came over to a pupil flanked by two similarly tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the person said. “That involved me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to wherever you answered you were from.”

After the story broke, more people have come forward; around two dozen people have now stated they were either targets of or observed hurtful conduct by Farage.

The alleged events they recounted relate to the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Evolving Explanations

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

Observers have highlighted that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his responses.

They also point to his inability to sanction a fellow Reform MP, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of black and brown people she saw in television commercials. She later said sorry for the comments.

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

He added: “Suggesting that two dozen individuals have all misremembered the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply is not believable."

Demand for Accountability

“If he wishes to be seen as a serious contender for the top job, he has to confront the concerns of the Jewish people, and apologise to the those he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Bigotry in all its forms is abhorrent to the values of this country and we must not permit it to ever become legitimised in society.”

In a different discussion, the Chancellor said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to look like a real leader.

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

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In lawyers' communications before the publication of the investigation, Farage’s representatives claimed that “the implication that Mr Farage ever took part in, approved of, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his position in an interview, stating: “Have I said things as a youth that you could interpret as being playground talk, you could interpret in a today's standards today in a certain manner? Yes.”

He said that he had “not ever purposely really tried to go and hurt anybody”. Farage later released a further comment: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been published when I was 13, so long ago.”