Holocaust Victims Urge Nigel Farage to Say Sorry Over Claimed Antisemitic Remarks.

A coalition of Shoah survivors has publicly demanded that Nigel Farage tell the truth and express remorse for reported anti-Jewish abuse attributed to him toward Jewish schoolmates during his youth.

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

"As Holocaust survivors, we understand the deadly peril of words of hatred – for we have experienced firsthand where such words can lead," wrote the survivors in a open letter.

"It is crucial to understand: expressing admiration for Hitler, mocking gas chambers, or shouting racist insults is not teasing. Not on a schoolyard. Not under any circumstances."

An Unequivocal Demand

The document puts forth blunt questions to the party leader: "Are the claims accurate that you stated ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ and mimicked gas chambers? Did you subject your classmates to anti-Jewish taunts?"

The Signatories

The group of 11 survivors features individuals with deeply traumatic personal histories from the Nazi genocide.

• Hedi Argent, who was bereaved of 27 members of her family.
• Simon Winston, who was imprisoned in a ghetto before fleeing in 1942 and living through the rest of the war concealed.
• Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau and later transferred to Bergen-Belsen, where she was freed.

Other signatories 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 allegations by more than two dozen or more ex-schoolmates and teachers as "made-up twaddle" by a deputy leader.

After the story broke, additional former pupils have come forward. Nearly thirty former pupils and teachers now assert they observed racist or antisemitic behaviour by him.

One well-known account comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish Bafta and Emmy-winning director, who has stated that a young Farage would come near him and utter the phrases "Hitler was right" and "gas them", at times including a long hiss to mimic the sound of gas chambers.

Further Allegations

More individuals from diverse backgrounds have additionally shared experiences with stories of targeted insults.

• Cyrus Oshidar stated he was branded a "Paki" and has dismissed the claim that such actions were not meant to hurt.
• 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".

The Survivors' Final Appeal

The survivors' letter poses a final challenge to Farage: "Should you continue to 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 apologise."

"Individuals who hope to lead our country should never divide people by race or religion. Antisemitic hatred must always be confronted. This moment is about ethical duty. The path forward is yours, Mr Farage."