Holocaust Survivors Urge Nigel Farage to Say Sorry Over Reported Anti-Jewish Comments.
A coalition of Holocaust survivors has insisted that Nigel Farage be honest and apologise for alleged anti-Jewish abuse he reportedly directed toward Jewish pupils during his youth.
The Reform UK leader has claimed he never targeted anyone with deliberate cruelty, suggesting it may have been mere "playground banter".
"Being Holocaust survivors, we understand the grave risk of words of hatred – because we have witnessed where such words can lead," declared the survivors in a open letter.
"Let us be clear: expressing admiration for Hitler, mimicking gas chambers, or directing racial slurs is not banter. Not in a playground. Not ever."
A Pointed Inquiry
The document asks blunt questions to the political figure: "Did you say ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ and mimicked gas chambers? Did you expose your classmates to bigoted harassment?"
Those Who Signed
The collective of 11 survivors contains individuals with deeply traumatic personal experiences from the Nazi genocide.
- Hedi Argent, who saw the murder of 27 members of her immediate and extended family.
- Simon Winston, who was held in a ghetto before fleeing 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 liberated.
Other signatories include Janine Webber, Edith Jayne, Helen Aronson, Ruth Barnett, John Fieldsend, Susan Pollack, Hanneke Dye and Agnes Kaposi.
Increasing Allegations
This public letter follows the dismissal of corroborating allegations by more than two dozen ex-schoolmates and teachers as "fabricated nonsense" by a senior party figure.
Following the publication, further individuals from that era have spoken out. Nearly thirty ex-students and educators now claim they witnessed racist or antisemitic behaviour by him.
One well-known testimony comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish award-winning director, who recalls that a teenage Farage would sidle up to him and repeat the phrases "Hitler had the correct idea" and "gas them", on occasion adding a hiss to imitate the sound of the gas chambers.
Additional Claims
More individuals from minority ethnic backgrounds have also shared experiences with stories of personal harassment.
- Cyrus Oshidar stated he was called a "Paki" and has dismissed the notion that such actions were not meant to hurt.
- Another student of Asian heritage portrayed him as an "open racist" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell was correct" as a form of "racial intimidation".
A Concluding Demand
The final appeal puts forth an ultimate challenge to Farage: "By denying saying those words, are you claiming that 20 former classmates and teachers are lying? Should the allegations be true, now is the moment to acknowledge you were wrong and make amends."
"Individuals who hope to lead our country should not ever create division by ethnicity or faith. Anti-Jewish bigotry must never become acceptable. This moment is about personal accountability. The decision is yours, Mr Farage."
