Holocaust Victims Urge Nigel Farage to Say Sorry Over Alleged Antisemitic Comments.

A coalition of Holocaust survivors has called for that Nigel Farage be honest and issue an apology for alleged antisemitic taunts he is said to have made toward Jewish students during his school days.

The Reform UK leader has claimed he never racially abused anyone with the aim to hurt, suggesting it may have been mere "childish teasing".

"As Shoah survivors, we grasp the profound danger of bigoted language – because we have witnessed where such words ultimately lead," declared the survivors in a open letter.

"We must be unambiguous: expressing admiration for Hitler, mocking gas chambers, or hurling racist abuse is not banter. Not among children. Not ever."

An Unequivocal Demand

The correspondence puts forth blunt questions to the party leader: "Is it true you said ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ and mimicked gas chambers? Did you subject your classmates to bigoted harassment?"

Those Who Signed

The collective of eleven survivors includes individuals with harrowing personal histories from the Holocaust.

• Hedi Argent, who was bereaved of 27 members of her family.
• Simon Winston, who was held in a ghetto before fleeing in 1942 and spending the rest of the war in hiding.
• Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was imprisoned at Auschwitz-Birkenau and later moved to Bergen-Belsen, where she was rescued.

The remaining survivors include Janine Webber, Edith Jayne, Helen Aronson, Ruth Barnett, John Fieldsend, Susan Pollack, Hanneke Dye and Agnes Kaposi.

Mounting Testimony

This action comes after the characterisation of similar accounts by more than two dozen alumni and teachers as "fabricated nonsense" by a high-ranking official.

Following the publication, further individuals from that era have spoken out. 28 people connected to the school now state they witnessed prejudiced actions by him.

One notable account comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish-born award-winning director, who recalls that a young Farage would come near him and repeat the phrases "Hitler was right" and "gas them", at times including a long hiss to mimic the sound of gas chambers.

A Broader Pattern

Additional alumni from diverse backgrounds have also shared experiences with stories of personal harassment.

• Cyrus Oshidar said he was referred to as a "Paki" and has dismissed the idea that such actions were without intent.
• Another individual with Asian roots described him as an "blatant racist" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell was right" as a form of "racial bullying".

The Survivors' Final Appeal

The survivors' letter asks a concluding dilemma to Farage: "By denying saying those words, are you claiming that 20 former classmates and teachers are fabricating their stories? If the words were spoken, now is the time to acknowledge you were wrong and apologise."

"Those who seek to govern our country should not ever divide people by race or religion. Antisemitic hatred must always be confronted. This moment is about moral responsibility. The path forward is your own, Mr Farage."