Nigel Farage allegedly told fellow Dulwich College pupil 'that’s the way back to Africa'
The Reform UK leader has faced claims about his behaviour while he was a pupil at Dulwich College, a top private school in south London
A former pupil of Dulwich College has claimed that Nigel Farage told “that’s the way back to Africa” when they both studied at the school.
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Yinka Bankole has said that he felt compelled to speak out about his experiences with the Reform UK leader after watching Mr Farage's press conference, where he tried “denying or dismissing” the impact of his alleged actions.
Mr Bankole, whose parents moved to the UK from Nigeria in the 1950s, told The Guardian that he joined the school as a nine-year-old, but it took a while before a 17-year-old Mr Farage took notice of him.
He said: “I went to the school for a year between 1980 and 1981, starting at a mere nine years of age. I was in the most junior class (JC) at the time, in a college that was so large, consisting of lower, middle and upper schools with an age range from nine to 18.
“My hardworking parents celebrated with pictures as proud parents would do when their child is so privileged to attend such a well-reputed educational institution.
“It took him a while, I recall, but one day Farage, and at least one other, spotted me in the lower-school playground. He was about 17 years old.
“He towered over me. ‘Where are you from?’ he asked. Within seconds of offering my rather confused and sputtering answers, he had a clear response: ‘That’s the way back to Africa,’ with an accompanying hand gesture pointing towards a place far away.”
Read more: Rory Stewart urges focus on Nigel Farage’s Politics, not past school remarks
The Reform UK leader has faced claims about his behaviour while he was a pupil at Dulwich College, a top private school in south London.
Mr Farage denied at a press conference on Thursday that he ever made racist remarks in a “malicious or nasty way”.
He has previously said of the claims that what could have been considered “banter in a playground” could be interpreted in “the modern light of day in some sort of way”.
A group of Holocaust survivors have since called on Mr Farage to apologise over allegations of racism and antisemitism during his school days.
The 11 signatories, some of whom have survived death camps, write that they “understand the danger of hateful words” and call on the Clacton MP to admit whether he said them or if he is accusing those who say he did of lying.
They write: “Let us be clear: praising Hitler, mocking gas chambers, or hurling racist abuse is not banter. Not in a playground. Not anywhere.”
They add that “honesty, reflection and commitment to truth” is the responsible response when it comes to allegations about “invoking Nazi attitudes” towards Jewish children.
“So we ask you: Did you say ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them’, mimicking gas chambers? Did you subject your classmates to antisemitic abuse?
“If you deny saying those words, are you saying that 20 former classmates and teachers are lying? If you did say them, now is the time to acknowledge you were wrong, and apologise.”
Mr Farage’s former classmate Peter Ettedgui is among those who have accused the politician of making racist remarks to him during their school days.
Mr Ettedgui, who is Jewish, has claimed that Mr Farage “repeatedly” approached him and said “Hitler was right”, while they were pupils at the school.
“Those who hope to lead our country should never divide people by race or religion. Antisemitic hatred must never be normalised.”
The Holocaust survivors who signed the letter include Hedi Argent, who fled Austria and lost 27 members of her family, and Simon Winston, who was held in a ghetto in the German-occupied Soviet Union.
Mr Farage on Thursday sought to suggest journalists from broadcasters asking questions about the allegations were displaying double standards, because their outlets had in the past aired programmes which would now be considered racist.
Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer has called the Reform UK leader a “toxic, divisive disgrace” over claims he made that one in three schoolchildren in Glasgow do not speak English as their first language and referring to this as the “cultural smashing of Glasgow”.
Scottish First Minister John Swinney said the comments were “simply racist”.