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The United Kingdom's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has demanded Nigel Farage to apologise to former schoolmates who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their time at school.

Hermer said that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, judging by their accounts of his actions as a youth. He commented that the politician's "evolving" statements had been less than credible.

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

Further Testimonies Come to Light

A series of inquiries last month detailed the statements of more than a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a teenage Farage "would sidle up to me and utter: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, at times making a long hiss to imitate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil claimed that when he was about nine, he was subjected to similar treatment by a older Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil flanked by two equally tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘different’,” the former student said. “That happened to me on three occasions; questioning me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”

Following the initial report, more people have emerged; approximately twenty people have now stated they were either targets of or saw highly inappropriate actions by Farage.

The behaviour they outlined relate to the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Changing Stories

The Reform leader has rejected that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the accusers were misremembering.

Commentators have pointed out that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his responses.

They also point to his failure to discipline a colleague in his party, a MP, after she made remarks about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the remarks.

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

He went on to say: “Arguing that a group of people have somehow misremembered the same things about his offensive behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Question of Character

“If he aspires to be seen as a legitimate candidate for high office, he urgently needs acknowledge the anxieties of the Jewish people, and apologise to the many people he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Racism in all its forms is completely opposed to the principles of this country and we should not let it to ever become accepted in society.”

In a different discussion, a senior politician said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to look like a real leader.

“It is very telling how little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would recognise as being crafted in a specific manner to communicate, but also avoid saying certain things,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In lawyers' communications prior to the publication of the investigation, Farage’s legal team stated that “the implication that Mr Farage ever was involved in, condoned, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is completely refuted”.

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

He commented that he had “not once intentionally sought to go and upset anybody”. Farage afterwards released a fresh denial: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been published when I was 13, so long ago.”