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The UK's attorney general, Richard Hermer, has called on Nigel Farage to apologise to former schoolmates who claim he racially abused them during their years in education.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, according to their descriptions of his past behaviour. He commented that the leader's "evolving" denials had been difficult to believe.

“In his defensive responses to legitimate questions, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a publication.

New Allegations Emerge

A recent investigation last month outlined the statements of over a dozen former classmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, a former pupil, described that a teenage Farage "would sidle up to me and growl: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, occasionally including a long hiss to imitate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another student of colour claimed that when he was roughly nine years old, he was subjected to similar treatment by a older Farage.

“He approached a pupil flanked by two equally tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘different’,” the person said. “That included me on three occasions; inquiring where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to wherever you answered you were from.”

Since then, others have stepped forward; around two dozen people have now claimed they were either victims of or saw hurtful past behaviour by Farage.

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

Changing Stories

The Reform leader has denied that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the accusers were misremembering.

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

They also point to his inability to reprimand a colleague in his party, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of black and brown people she saw in television commercials. She later apologised for the comments.

“Nigel Farage’s shifting account about his behaviour to his peers [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He continued: “Arguing that 20 people have somehow forgotten the same things about his offensive behaviour simply is not believable."

Question of Character

“If he aspires to be seen as a serious contender for prime minister, he has to address the fears of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the those he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Prejudice in all its forms is completely opposed to the standards of this country and we should not let it to ever become normalised in society.”

In a other comments, the Chancellor said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to appear as a real leader.

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

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In lawyers' communications before the release of the investigation, Farage’s legal team asserted that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever was involved in, supported, or led such conduct is completely refuted”.

Farage later appeared to change his stance in an discussion, stating: “Have I said things as a youth that you could see as being playground talk, you could interpret in a modern light today in a certain manner? Perhaps.”

He added that he had “never directly sought to go and hurt anybody”. Farage subsequently put out a further comment: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been published aged 13, nearly 50 years ago.”