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The United Kingdom's attorney general, Richard Hermer, has urged Nigel Farage to apologise to school contemporaries who allege he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their testimonies of his past behaviour. He added that the politician's "evolving" denials had been unconvincing.

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

Fresh Claims Come to Light

A series of inquiries last month documented the accounts of several ex-pupils of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, a former pupil, described that a 13-year-old Farage "would approach me and say: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, at times making a long hiss to mimic the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

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

“He came over to a pupil accompanied by two tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘other’,” the individual said. “That involved me on three occasions; questioning me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”

After the story broke, more people have stepped forward; about 20 people have now alleged they were either targets of or witnesses to hurtful past behaviour by Farage.

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

Changing Stories

The Reform leader has denied that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the accusers were not telling the truth.

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

They also cite his inability to reprimand a fellow Reform MP, a MP, after she expressed views about the number of people of colour she saw in television commercials. She later expressed regret for the comments.

“His shifting account about his behaviour to his peers [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He continued: “Arguing that two dozen individuals have all misremembered the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply is not believable."

Demand for Accountability

“If he aspires to be seen as a legitimate candidate for the top job, he must address the fears of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the many people he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Bigotry in all its forms is completely opposed to the values of this country and we should not let it to ever become normalised in society.”

In a different discussion, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to look like a true statesman.

“It is very telling how very little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would identify as being written in a specific manner to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she noted.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence prior to the release of the report, Farage’s legal team stated that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever engaged in, supported, or led this behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his stance in an interview, saying: “Have I said things as a youth that you could interpret as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some sort of way? Yes.”

He commented that he had “never directly really tried to go and upset anybody”. Farage later released a new statement: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been printed aged 13, nearly 50 years ago.”