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The United Kingdom's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has urged the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to former schoolmates who assert he targeted with racist abuse them during their time at school.

Hermer said that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their descriptions of his alleged conduct. He added that the leader's "constantly changing" statements had been difficult to believe.

“In his replies to valid inquiries, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a news outlet.

New Allegations Come to Light

A series of inquiries last month documented the accounts of over a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, a former pupil, described that a teenage Farage "would sidle up to me and say: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, occasionally including a long hiss to mimic the sound of the gas showers”.

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

“He walked up to a pupil flanked by two equally tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘other’,” the former student said. “That happened to me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”

Since then, more people have stepped forward; approximately twenty people have now alleged they were either subject to or saw deeply offensive actions by Farage.

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

Denials and Shifting Positions

The political figure has rejected that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the former classmates were being untruthful.

Critics have highlighted that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his statements.

They also reference his failure to reprimand a fellow Reform MP, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later expressed regret for the remarks.

“His evolving narrative about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He went on to say: “Suggesting that 20 people have somehow forgotten the same things about his offensive behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Demand for Accountability

“If he wishes to be seen as a credible figure for the top job, he has to address the concerns of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the numerous individuals he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Racism in all its forms is abhorrent to the values of this country and we must not permit it to ever become normalised in politics.”

In a different discussion, a senior politician said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to appear as a real leader.

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would identify as being drafted in a specific manner to say something, but also dodge the issue,” she noted.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In lawyers' communications prior to the publication of the report, Farage’s legal team asserted that “the implication that Mr Farage ever took part in, approved of, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later appeared to change his stance in an interview, stating: “Have I said things as a youth that you could see as being banter, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in a certain manner? Yes.”

He added that he had “never directly attempted to go and upset anybody”. Farage later released a new statement: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been published as a 13-year-old, so long ago.”