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The United Kingdom's attorney general, Richard Hermer, has called on Nigel Farage to apologise to former schoolmates who allege he targeted with racist abuse them during their years in education.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their accounts of his actions as a youth. He commented that the leader's "evolving" denials had been less than credible.

“During his defensive responses to valid inquiries, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a news outlet.

New Allegations Emerge

A series of inquiries last month documented the accounts of several former classmates of Farage from a south London school.

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

Another minority ethnic pupil stated that when he was roughly nine years old, he was subjected to similar treatment by a older Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil accompanied by two equally tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘different’,” the person said. “That involved me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you answered you were from.”

After the story broke, additional individuals have emerged; about 20 people have now alleged they were either subject to or witnesses to highly inappropriate actions by Farage.

The alleged events they recounted cover the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Denials and Shifting Positions

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

Observers have highlighted that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his denials.

They also reference his inability to sanction a fellow Reform MP, a MP, after she made remarks about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the statements.

“His constantly changing story about his behaviour to his peers [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He continued: “Arguing that 20 people have somehow recalled incorrectly the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Call for Leadership

“If he wants to be seen as a serious contender for high office, he urgently needs address the fears of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the those he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

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

In a other comments, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to look like a genuine leader.

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would identify as being drafted in a particular way to communicate, but also dodge the issue,” she said.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In legal letters before the publication of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers claimed that “the implication that Mr Farage ever engaged in, approved of, or led this behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later altered his position in an appearance, remarking: “Did I say things decades ago that you could see as being playground talk, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some way? Yes.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally sought to go and hurt anybody”. Farage later released a new statement: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been published when I was 13, nearly 50 years ago.”