Holocaust Victims Call On Nigel Farage to Say Sorry Over Claimed Anti-Jewish Remarks.

A group of Holocaust survivors has insisted that Nigel Farage tell the truth and express remorse for alleged anti-Jewish comments he is said to have made toward Jewish schoolmates during his youth.

The Reform UK leader has previously stated he never racially abused anyone with malicious intent, suggesting it may have been mere "childish teasing".

"As Holocaust survivors, we understand the profound danger of hateful words – because we have seen where such words inevitably end," declared the survivors in a open letter.

"It is crucial to understand: lauding Hitler, mimicking gas chambers, or hurling racist abuse is not teasing. Not in a playground. Not anywhere."

A Pointed Inquiry

The correspondence poses straightforward questions to the public figure: "Are the claims accurate that you stated ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ accompanied by mimicking gas chambers? Did you target your peers to antisemitic abuse?"

The Survivors

The group of eleven survivors includes individuals with harrowing personal stories from the Holocaust.

• Hedi Argent, who was bereaved of 27 members of her 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 deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau and later incarcerated at Bergen-Belsen, where she was liberated.

The remaining survivors include Janine Webber, Edith Jayne, Helen Aronson, Ruth Barnett, John Fieldsend, Susan Pollack, Hanneke Dye and Agnes Kaposi.

Increasing Allegations

This action comes after the characterisation of related testimony by more than two dozen former pupils and teachers as "complete fiction" by a deputy leader.

After the story broke, additional former pupils have shared their stories. Twenty-eight people connected to the school now assert they witnessed racist or antisemitic behaviour by him.

One well-known account comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish Bafta and Emmy-winning director, who said that a young Farage would come near him and repeat the phrases "Hitler had the correct idea" and "gas them", at times making a hiss to mimic the sound of poison gas.

A Broader Pattern

Additional alumni from ethnic minorities have additionally spoken publicly with allegations of targeted insults.

• Cyrus Oshidar claimed he was branded a "Paki" and has rejected the notion that such actions were without intent.
• Another individual with Asian roots characterised him as an "avowed bigot" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell was correct" as a form of "racial bullying".

The Survivors' Final Appeal

The missive from survivors poses a final challenge to Farage: "By denying saying those words, do you mean that scores of witnesses are lying? Should the allegations be true, now is the time to take responsibility and apologise."

"Individuals who hope to lead our country should never create division by race or religion. Anti-Jewish bigotry must always be confronted. This moment is about personal accountability. The decision is yours, Mr Farage."