Shoah Victims Demand Nigel Farage to Say Sorry Over Claimed Anti-Jewish Statements.

A group of Shoah survivors has publicly demanded that Nigel Farage tell the truth and issue an apology for reported antisemitic taunts he is said to have made toward Jewish schoolmates during his time at school.

The Reform UK leader has said he never targeted anyone with malicious intent, framing it may have been mere "schoolyard talk".

"Being Holocaust survivors, we understand the profound danger of hateful words – for we have experienced firsthand where such words ultimately lead," wrote the survivors in a letter.

"It is crucial to understand: praising Hitler, mimicking gas chambers, or directing racial slurs is not simple joking. Not on a schoolyard. Not anywhere."

A Direct Question

The document puts forth blunt questions to the party leader: "Did you say ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ accompanied by mimicking gas chambers? Did you expose your fellow pupils to bigoted harassment?"

The Survivors

The group of 11 survivors includes individuals with deeply traumatic personal stories from the Holocaust.

• Hedi Argent, who saw the murder of 27 members of her immediate and extended family.
• Simon Winston, who was confined to a ghetto before breaking out in 1942 and spending the rest of the war concealed.
• Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was sent to 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 intervention follows the dismissal of related allegations by more than two dozen ex-schoolmates and teachers as "made-up twaddle" by a senior party figure.

Since the initial report, more contemporaries have come forward. Twenty-eight ex-students and educators now assert they witnessed bigoted conduct by him.

One notable allegation comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish Bafta and Emmy-winning director, who said that a young Farage would approach him and say the phrases "Hitler had the correct idea" and "send them to the gas chambers", at times making a long hiss to mimic the sound of gas chambers.

Additional Claims

Other former pupils from diverse backgrounds have additionally spoken publicly with stories of direct abuse.

• Cyrus Oshidar said he was referred to as a "racial slur" and has labelled as rubbish the claim that such actions were without intent.
• Another individual with Asian roots characterised him as an "avowed bigot" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell was right" as a form of "racial intimidation".

The Survivors' Final Appeal

The final appeal puts forth an ultimate challenge to Farage: "If you deny saying those words, do you mean that 20 former classmates and teachers are not telling the truth? Should the allegations be true, now is the time to acknowledge you were wrong and make amends."

"Individuals who hope to lead our country should never sow discord by background or belief. Anti-Jewish bigotry must never become acceptable. This moment is about personal accountability. The choice is yours, Mr Farage."