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The UK's attorney general, Richard Hermer, has demanded Nigel Farage to issue an apology to former schoolmates who allege he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their accounts of his alleged conduct. He added that the politician's "constantly changing" explanations had been difficult to believe.

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

Further Testimonies Come to Light

A series of inquiries last month outlined the testimony of several one-time schoolmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, a former pupil, described that a teenage Farage "would approach me and say: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, sometimes adding a long hiss to mimic the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

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

“He walked up to a pupil accompanied by two tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘other’,” the person said. “That included me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to any place you replied you were from.”

After the story broke, others have come forward; approximately twenty people have now claimed they were either victims of or saw highly inappropriate conduct by Farage.

The alleged events they described span the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Denials and Shifting Positions

The political figure has disputed that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the former classmates were being untruthful.

Commentators have highlighted that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his responses.

They also point to his reluctance to sanction a colleague in his party, a MP, after she made remarks about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later said sorry for the statements.

“Nigel Farage’s shifting account about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

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

Call for Leadership

“If he wishes to be seen as a credible figure for the top job, he has to confront the anxieties of the Jewish people, and apologise to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

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

In a different discussion, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to appear as a genuine leader.

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would understand as being written in a certain style to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she said.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence prior to the publication of the report, Farage’s representatives stated that “the implication that Mr Farage ever engaged in, approved of, or led this behaviour is completely refuted”.

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

He added that he had “not once intentionally attempted to go and harm anybody”. Farage later issued a further comment: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been published aged 13, nearly 50 years ago.”