UK Reform Party leader Nigel Farage engaged in racist and antisemitic bullying targeting fellow students at school; over 20 school classmates and teachers of Farage’s at Dulwich College complained, according to a Friday The Guardian.
Farage dismissed the reports of racist bullying, claiming instead that he may have engaged in “banter in a playground” and suggested the accusations against him were politically motivated.
Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish BAFTA and Emmy-winning director, alleged Farage would tell him “Hitler was right” and “gas them” while sometimes simulating the sound of gas chambers.
In a letter addressed to Farage, 11 Holocaust survivors demanded answers on whether he mimicked the sound of gas chambers, said Hitler was right, or said Jews should be gassed.
“Let us be clear: praising Hitler, mocking gas chambers, or hurling racist abuse is not banter, not in a playground. Not anywhere,” the survivors wrote.
“When allegations arise about invoking Nazi attitudes toward Jewish children, the responsible response is honesty, reflection, and commitment to truth. So we ask you: did you say ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ mimicking gas chambers? Did you subject your classmates to antisemitic abuse?”
The letter was penned by Hedi Argent, Simon Winston, Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, Janine Webber, Edith Jayne, Helen Aronson, Ruth Barnett, John Fieldsend, Susan Pollack, Hanneke Dye, and Agnes Kaposi.
“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,” the joint letter concluded.
“Those who hope to lead our country should never divide people by race or religion. Antisemitic hatred must never be normalised. This moment is about moral responsibility. The choice is yours, Mr Farage.”
Black students allege Nigel Farage told them to go 'back to Africa'
Yinka Bankole, who formerly studied with Farage, told The Guardian Farage would tell him “‘'That’s the way back to Africa,' with an accompanying hand gesture pointing towards a place far away.”
“Without knowing my name, but just looking at me with what appeared to be no appreciation of my humanity and simply because of how I looked," he added.
Farage's response to accusations that he engaged in antisemitic bullying at school
At a press conference, Farage read out a letter allegedly written by a former Jewish student who asserted that comments made by Farage were never made with “malice” and there was a cultural difference in the 1970s on what was acceptable.
Farage also hit out against the BBC for publishing racist content in the 1970s while holding him accountable for "playground comments" made more than 50 years ago.