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The United Kingdom's attorney general, Richard Hermer, has called on Nigel Farage to issue an apology to former schoolmates who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their years in education.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their descriptions of his actions as a youth. He added that the politician's "constantly changing" denials had been less than credible.

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

New Allegations Surface

A published report last month detailed the testimony of more than a dozen former classmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, a former pupil, described that a 13-year-old Farage "came up to me and say: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, sometimes adding a long hiss to mimic the sound of the gas showers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority claimed that when he was roughly nine years old, he was subjected to similar treatment by a older Farage.

“He approached a pupil flanked by two similarly tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘different’,” the former student said. “That happened to me on three occasions; inquiring where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to any place you said you were from.”

After the story broke, additional individuals have stepped forward; about 20 people have now alleged they were either targets of or observed highly inappropriate actions by Farage.

The alleged events they recounted relate to the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Denials and Shifting Positions

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

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

They also reference his reluctance to sanction a colleague in his party, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of black and brown people she saw in television commercials. She later expressed regret for the remarks.

“Nigel Farage’s evolving narrative about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He went on to say: “Arguing that 20 people have all misremembered the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Call for Leadership

“If he wants to be seen as a credible figure for high office, he urgently needs acknowledge the concerns of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the those he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Prejudice in all its forms is abhorrent to the principles of this country and we must not permit it to ever become normalised in society.”

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

“It says a lot how little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would understand as being crafted in a certain style to say something, but also dodge the issue,” she remarked.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In lawyers' communications before the release of the report, Farage’s legal team claimed that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever was involved in, supported, or led this behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later altered his stance in an appearance, saying: “Have I said things decades ago that you could view as being playground talk, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some way? Possibly.”

He commented that he had “not ever purposely really tried to go and upset anybody”. Farage subsequently released a new statement: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been printed as a 13-year-old, decades in the past.”