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The UK's attorney general, Richard Hermer, has demanded Nigel Farage to apologise to former schoolmates who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their time at school.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their descriptions of his past behaviour. He commented that the politician's "evolving" denials had been less than credible.

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

Fresh Claims Emerge

A published report last month outlined the testimony of more than a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from a private college.

One, Peter Ettedgui, recalled that a teenage Farage "would sidle up to me and utter: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, occasionally including a long hiss to mimic the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another student of colour claimed that when he was roughly nine years old, he was singled out by a older Farage.

“He came over to a pupil with two equally tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘other’,” the former student said. “That happened to me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you said you were from.”

Since then, others have come forward; about 20 people have now claimed they were either subject to or witnesses to deeply offensive past behaviour by Farage.

The incidents they described cover the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Denials and Shifting Positions

The Reform leader has rejected that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the former classmates were not telling the truth.

Critics have pointed out that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his responses.

They also reference his failure to sanction a fellow Reform MP, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the comments.

“His constantly changing story about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He continued: “Suggesting that two dozen individuals have somehow recalled incorrectly the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Demand for Accountability

“If he aspires to be seen as a credible figure for prime minister, he must confront the concerns of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the numerous individuals he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Bigotry in all its forms is anathema to the standards of this country and we must not permit it to ever become legitimised in public life.”

In a other comments, a senior politician said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to look like a real leader.

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would recognise as being drafted in a particular way to communicate, but also not to say something,” she remarked.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In lawyers' communications before the release of the report, Farage’s legal team claimed that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever took part in, approved of, or led such conduct is completely refuted”.

Farage later altered his explanation in an appearance, saying: “Did I say things as a youth that you could interpret as being banter, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some sort of way? Perhaps.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally sought to go and upset anybody”. Farage later released a new statement: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been reported when I was 13, nearly 50 years ago.”