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The UK's top law officer, 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 "clearly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their accounts of his past behaviour. He commented that the leader's "constantly changing" statements had been unconvincing.

“Throughout his replies to valid inquiries, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a news outlet.

New Allegations Surface

A recent investigation last month detailed the testimony of over a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from a south London school.

One, Peter Ettedgui, recalled that a teenage Farage "would approach me and say: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, sometimes adding a long hiss to mimic the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil alleged that when he was about nine, he was singled out by a older Farage.

“He came over to a pupil flanked by two similarly tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘different’,” the former student said. “That happened to me on three occasions; questioning me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

Following the initial report, others have stepped forward; approximately twenty people have now alleged they were either targets of or witnesses to deeply offensive conduct by Farage.

The incidents they outlined relate to the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Changing Stories

The political figure has disputed that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the accusers were not telling the truth.

Commentators have pointed out that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his responses.

They also point to his inability to reprimand a colleague in his party, a MP, after she expressed views about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later said sorry for the statements.

“His constantly changing story about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He added: “Arguing that two dozen individuals have somehow misremembered the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Demand for Accountability

“If he wants to be seen as a serious contender for prime minister, he must address the concerns of the Jewish people, and apologise to the numerous individuals he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

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

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

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

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence prior to the publication of the report, Farage’s representatives stated that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever engaged in, approved of, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is categorically denied”.

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

He added that he had “not ever purposely sought to go and upset 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.”