Shoah Survivors Urge Nigel Farage to Say Sorry Over Reported Anti-Jewish Comments.

A group of Holocaust survivors has insisted that Nigel Farage tell the truth and apologise for reported anti-Jewish comments attributed to him toward Jewish schoolmates during his youth.

The political party leader has claimed he never racially abused anyone with the aim to hurt, proposing it may have been mere "playground banter".

"Being Holocaust survivors, we comprehend the grave risk of bigoted language – for we have experienced firsthand where such words ultimately lead," stated the survivors in a letter.

"Let us be clear: lauding Hitler, mimicking gas chambers, or shouting racist insults is not banter. Not among children. Not under any circumstances."

An Unequivocal Demand

The document asks straightforward questions to the political figure: "Is it true you said ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ accompanied by mimicking gas chambers? Did you target your classmates to antisemitic abuse?"

The Signatories

The collective of eleven survivors features individuals with devastating personal stories from the Nazi genocide.

• Hedi Argent, who lost 27 members of her immediate and extended family.
• Simon Winston, who was imprisoned in a ghetto before breaking out in 1942 and living through the rest of the war concealed.
• Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau and later moved to Bergen-Belsen, where she was liberated.

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

Increasing Allegations

This action is a response to the rejection of similar accounts by more than two dozen alumni and teachers as "made-up twaddle" by a high-ranking official.

After the story broke, further individuals from that era have shared their stories. Twenty-eight people connected to the school now claim they observed racist or antisemitic behaviour by him.

One notable testimony comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish-born award-winning director, who said that a teenage Farage would approach him and repeat the phrases "Hitler had the correct idea" and "send them to the gas chambers", on occasion adding a hiss to imitate the sound of poison gas.

A Broader Pattern

Additional alumni from diverse backgrounds have additionally spoken publicly with allegations of personal harassment.

• Cyrus Oshidar stated he was referred to as a "Paki" and has dismissed the claim that such actions were without intent.
• Another pupil of Asian descent characterised him as an "avowed bigot" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell had a point" as a form of "racial intimidation".

A Concluding Demand

The survivors' letter asks a concluding challenge to Farage: "By denying saying those words, are you claiming that 20 former classmates and teachers are fabricating their stories? If you did say them, now is the opportunity to admit your error and say sorry."

"Individuals who hope to lead our country should not ever create division by race or religion. Hatred of Jews must never be normalised. This moment is about ethical duty. The choice is yours, Mr Farage."