Holocaust Survivors Call On Nigel Farage to Say Sorry Over Alleged Anti-Jewish Statements.
A coalition of Shoah survivors has insisted that Nigel Farage be honest and apologise for alleged antisemitic taunts he is said to have made toward Jewish pupils during his time at school.
The Reform UK leader has claimed he never targeted anyone with the aim to hurt, proposing it may have been mere "childish teasing".
"Being Shoah survivors, we understand the grave risk of hateful words – for we have witnessed where such words ultimately lead," declared the survivors in a letter.
"We must be unambiguous: expressing admiration for Hitler, mimicking gas chambers, or directing racial slurs is not banter. Not among children. Not ever."
A Pointed Inquiry
The document poses straightforward questions to the political figure: "Are the claims accurate that you stated ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ and mimicked gas chambers? Did you expose your peers to anti-Jewish taunts?"
Those Who Signed
The collective of eleven survivors features individuals with harrowing personal stories from the Nazi genocide.
- Hedi Argent, who saw the murder of 27 members of her immediate and extended family.
- Simon Winston, who was imprisoned in a ghetto before escaping in 1942 and spending the rest of the war concealed.
- Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau and later incarcerated at 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.
Mounting Testimony
This public letter is a response to the rejection of related allegations by more than two dozen or more former pupils and teachers as "made-up twaddle" by a deputy leader.
After the story broke, further individuals from that era have come forward. 28 people connected to the school now assert they saw racist or antisemitic behaviour by him.
One well-known account comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish-born award-winning director, who said that a young Farage would approach him and utter the phrases "Hitler was right" and "send them to the gas chambers", at times making a hiss to simulate the sound of poison gas.
A Broader Pattern
Additional alumni from diverse backgrounds have additionally shared experiences with stories of personal harassment.
- Cyrus Oshidar stated he was referred to as a "Paki" and has rejected the claim that such actions were not meant to hurt.
- Another pupil of Asian descent characterised him as an "open racist" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell had a point" as a form of "ethnic harassment".
A Concluding Demand
The final appeal asks a concluding challenge to Farage: "If you deny saying those words, are you claiming that 20 former classmates and teachers are lying? Should the allegations be true, now is the moment to admit your error and say sorry."
"Those who hope to lead our country should under no circumstances divide people by background or belief. Hatred of Jews must never be normalised. This moment is about ethical duty. The choice is your own, Mr Farage."
