Holocaust Survivors Urge Nigel Farage to Apologise Over Alleged Anti-Jewish Statements.

A collective of Holocaust survivors has publicly demanded that Nigel Farage tell the truth and issue an apology for alleged antisemitic comments he reportedly directed toward Jewish pupils during his time at school.

The political party leader has previously stated he never targeted anyone with deliberate cruelty, proposing it may have been mere "schoolyard talk".

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

"It is crucial to understand: expressing admiration for Hitler, jeering at gas chambers, or directing racial slurs is not banter. Not among children. Not anywhere."

A Pointed Inquiry

The correspondence puts forth blunt questions to the political figure: "Is it true you said ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ while mimicking gas chambers? Did you target your peers to bigoted harassment?"

The Survivors

The collective of 11 survivors contains individuals with deeply traumatic personal histories from the Holocaust.

• Hedi Argent, who saw the murder of 27 members of her family.
• Simon Winston, who was confined to a ghetto before escaping in 1942 and spending the rest of the war as a fugitive.
• Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau and later moved 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 public letter follows the characterisation of corroborating accounts by more than several dozen alumni and teachers as "made-up twaddle" by a high-ranking official.

Since the initial report, further individuals from that era have come forward. Nearly thirty people connected to the school now claim they witnessed prejudiced actions by him.

One well-known allegation comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish-born Bafta and Emmy-winning director, who has stated that a young Farage would come near him and repeat the phrases "Hitler had the correct idea" and "gas them", sometimes adding a hiss to imitate the sound of poison gas.

Additional Claims

Additional alumni from minority ethnic backgrounds have additionally come forward with accounts of targeted insults.

• Cyrus Oshidar claimed he was called a "Paki" and has dismissed the notion that such actions were without intent.
• Another student of Asian heritage described him as an "blatant racist" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell had a point" as a form of "ethnic harassment".

The Survivors' Final Appeal

The final appeal asks a concluding question to Farage: "By denying saying those words, do you mean that dozens of individuals are not telling the truth? Should the allegations be true, now is the opportunity to take responsibility and apologise."

"Those who seek to govern our country should not ever sow discord by ethnicity or faith. Anti-Jewish bigotry must never become acceptable. This moment is about ethical duty. The path forward is yours, Mr Farage."