Holocaust Survivors Urge Nigel Farage to Say Sorry Over Alleged Anti-Jewish Comments.

A collective of Holocaust survivors has publicly demanded that Nigel Farage admit the facts and express remorse for reported antisemitic abuse attributed to him toward Jewish students during his school days.

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

"As Shoah survivors, we understand the grave risk of words of hatred – because we have seen where such words inevitably end," wrote 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 on a schoolyard. Not under any circumstances."

A Pointed Inquiry

The document puts forth blunt questions to the political figure: "Did you say ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ accompanied by mimicking gas chambers? Did you expose your fellow pupils to anti-Jewish taunts?"

Those Who Signed

The collective of 11 survivors features individuals with deeply traumatic personal experiences from the Holocaust.

• Hedi Argent, who saw the murder of 27 members of her immediate and extended family.
• Simon Winston, who was held in a ghetto before escaping in 1942 and living through the rest of the war as a fugitive.
• Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was imprisoned at Auschwitz-Birkenau and later transferred to Bergen-Belsen, where she was liberated.

Additional names on the letter include Janine Webber, Edith Jayne, Helen Aronson, Ruth Barnett, John Fieldsend, Susan Pollack, Hanneke Dye and Agnes Kaposi.

Growing Accounts

This action comes after the dismissal of related testimony by more than two dozen ex-schoolmates and teachers as "made-up twaddle" by a high-ranking official.

After the story broke, more contemporaries have spoken out. 28 people connected to the school now state they saw bigoted conduct by him.

One well-known account comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish-born award-winning director, who has stated that a young Farage would sidle up to him and repeat the phrases "Hitler had the correct idea" and "send them to the gas chambers", at times adding a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas chambers.

A Broader Pattern

More individuals from ethnic minorities have additionally come forward with accounts 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 was correct" as a form of "racial intimidation".

A Concluding Demand

The final appeal puts forth an ultimate dilemma to Farage: "Should you continue to deny saying those words, do you mean that dozens of individuals are fabricating their stories? If the words were spoken, now is the opportunity to acknowledge you were wrong and say sorry."

"Individuals who aspire to lead our country should under no circumstances create division by ethnicity or faith. Anti-Jewish bigotry must always be confronted. This moment is about personal accountability. The path forward is your own, Mr Farage."