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The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has urged Nigel Farage to issue an apology to former schoolmates who allege he targeted with racist abuse them during their time at school.

Hermer stated that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their accounts of his actions as a youth. He noted that the politician's "evolving" denials had been unconvincing.

“During his replies to legitimate questions, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a news outlet.

Fresh Claims Come to Light

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

One, a former pupil, said that a teenage 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 student of colour alleged that when he was roughly nine years old, he was subjected to similar treatment by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He approached a pupil accompanied by two tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘different’,” the individual said. “That involved me on three occasions; inquiring where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you said you were from.”

After the story broke, others have emerged; approximately twenty people have now alleged they were either subject to or observed deeply offensive past behaviour by Farage.

The behaviour they described relate to the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Changing Stories

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

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

They also cite his failure to discipline a party member, Sarah Pochin, after she expressed views about the number of people of colour she saw in television commercials. She later expressed regret for the remarks.

“Nigel Farage’s constantly changing story about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He continued: “Claiming that a group of people have somehow forgotten the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Demand for Accountability

“If he wishes to be seen as a legitimate candidate for the top job, he must confront the concerns of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the those he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

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

In a separate interview, a senior politician said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to look like a genuine leader.

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

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

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

Farage later appeared to change his stance in an interview, remarking: “Did I say things decades ago that you could interpret as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a modern light today in some sort of way? Yes.”

He said that he had “never directly sought to go and harm anybody”. Farage subsequently put out a further comment: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been published when I was 13, nearly 50 years ago.”