Attorney general urges Nigel Farage to apologise over claims of racism and antisemitism
Richard Hermer, a senior Jewish minister, insisted people have been "deeply hurt" by the politicians alleged comments
The attorney general has urged Nigel Farage to apologise amid ongoing historic claims of racism and antisemitism.
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Richard Hermer, a Lord and senior Jewish minister, says the Reform UK leader had "clearly deeply hurt" many people with his alleged behaviour.
The comments follow claims that the Clacton MP racially abused fellow students while at school and made antisemitic remarks.
Mr Farage was seen to “categorically” deny the claims earlier this week, when asked whether he had made the comments to fellow pupils during his time a top private school.
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The Reform UK leader left open the possibility that he may have made racist remarks to his cohort at Dulwich College without “intent” during a recent interview.
Now, Lord Hermer has called on the MP to apologise to his school contemporaries for the comments made as a student, saying: "throughout his defensive responses to legitimate questions put to him, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism".
It follows testimony from more than a dozen classmates, published by The Guardian, which detailed claims of antisemitism and abusive language.
Peter Ettedgui, told the paper that Farage, aged 13, “would sidle up to me and growl: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, sometimes adding a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas showers”.
Another classmate said at the age of 17, Farage "walked up to a pupil flanked by two similarly tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘different’."
“That included me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”
The incidents are said to have taken place when Farage was at the south London college, when the MP was aged 13 to 18.
On Monday, Mr Farage was repeatedly asked by broadcasters whether he could rule out that he engaged in racial abuse.
“I would never, ever do it in a hurtful or insulting way,” he replied, later adding that if he had, it was “not with intent”.
The Reform leader then said that what could have been considered “banter in a playground” could be interpreted in “the modern light of day in some sort of way”.
However, three more former classmates who claim to have witnessed the alleged racism rejected these suggestion that it was “banter”, describing it as targeted, persistent and nasty.
The 20 people interviewed by The Guardian document claims of racist or antisemitic behaviour by Farage at school, including seven people who recall the targeted abuse of Peter Ettedgui, now an Emmy- and Bafta-winning director.