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The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has urged Nigel Farage to apologise to school contemporaries who claim he racially abused them during their time at school.

Hermer said that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, based on their testimonies of his past behaviour. He noted that the leader's "shifting" statements had been difficult to believe.

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

New Allegations Surface

A series of inquiries last month documented the accounts of over a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from a south London school.

One, Peter Ettedgui, said that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and utter: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, at times making 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 similarly targeted by a older Farage.

“He approached a pupil with two tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘other’,” the individual said. “That happened to me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you replied you were from.”

After the story broke, others have emerged; about 20 people have now alleged they were either victims of or observed deeply offensive conduct by Farage.

The behaviour they described cover the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Evolving Explanations

The political figure has disputed that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the accusers were misremembering.

Observers have pointed out that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his denials.

They also reference his reluctance to reprimand a party member, a MP, after she expressed views about the number of black and brown people she saw in television commercials. She later said sorry for the comments.

“Nigel Farage’s shifting account about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He continued: “Suggesting that a group of people have all recalled incorrectly the same things about his nasty behaviour simply is not believable."

Call for Leadership

“If he wishes to be seen as a serious contender for prime minister, he urgently needs address the concerns of the Jewish people, and apologise to the numerous individuals he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Prejudice in all its forms is abhorrent to the values of this country and we should not let it to ever become accepted in society.”

In a different discussion, the Chancellor said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to appear as a genuine leader.

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

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence prior to the release of the investigation, Farage’s representatives claimed that “the implication that Mr Farage ever was involved in, approved of, or led this behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later altered his stance in an appearance, stating: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could view as being playground talk, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some sort of way? Yes.”

He said that he had “never directly attempted to go and hurt anybody”. Farage later put out a new statement: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been printed aged 13, so long ago.”