🔗 Share this article Holocaust Victims Demand Nigel Farage to Say Sorry Over Reported Anti-Jewish Statements. A collective of Holocaust survivors has insisted that Nigel Farage be honest and apologise for reported antisemitic comments attributed to him toward Jewish schoolmates during his school days. The Reform UK leader has claimed he never targeted anyone with malicious intent, framing it may have been mere "playground banter". "Being Holocaust survivors, we understand the profound danger of words of hatred – for we have experienced firsthand where such words inevitably end," declared the survivors in a missive. "We must be unambiguous: praising Hitler, mocking gas chambers, or shouting racist insults is not teasing. Not on a schoolyard. Not ever." An Unequivocal Demand The document puts forth direct questions to the public figure: "Are the claims accurate that you stated ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ while mimicking gas chambers? Did you target your classmates to anti-Jewish taunts?" The Signatories The collective of eleven survivors includes individuals with devastating personal histories from the Nazi genocide. Hedi Argent, who saw the murder of 27 members of her immediate and extended family. Simon Winston, who was confined to a ghetto before fleeing in 1942 and spending the rest of the war concealed. Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau and later moved to Bergen-Belsen, where she was freed. 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 is a response to the rejection of similar allegations by more than two dozen or more former pupils and teachers as "fabricated nonsense" by a deputy leader. Following the publication, further individuals from that era have shared their stories. Twenty-eight people connected to the school now state they observed bigoted conduct by him. One notable account comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish Bafta and Emmy-winning director, who has stated that a teenage Farage would come near him and say the phrases "Hitler had the correct idea" and "gas them", on occasion including a prolonged hissing sound to imitate the sound of poison gas. A Broader Pattern Additional alumni from diverse backgrounds have also come forward with allegations of personal harassment. Cyrus Oshidar stated he was referred to as a "racial slur" and has dismissed the idea that such actions were without intent. Another student of Asian heritage described him as an "avowed bigot" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell had a point" as a form of "ethnic harassment". The Survivors' Final Appeal The survivors' letter poses a final question to Farage: "If you deny saying those words, is your position that dozens of individuals are not telling the truth? If you did say them, now is the time to acknowledge you were wrong and apologise." "People who seek to govern our country should under no circumstances divide people by ethnicity or faith. Hatred of Jews must never become acceptable. This moment is about moral responsibility. The decision is your own, Mr Farage."
A collective of Holocaust survivors has insisted that Nigel Farage be honest and apologise for reported antisemitic comments attributed to him toward Jewish schoolmates during his school days. The Reform UK leader has claimed he never targeted anyone with malicious intent, framing it may have been mere "playground banter". "Being Holocaust survivors, we understand the profound danger of words of hatred – for we have experienced firsthand where such words inevitably end," declared the survivors in a missive. "We must be unambiguous: praising Hitler, mocking gas chambers, or shouting racist insults is not teasing. Not on a schoolyard. Not ever." An Unequivocal Demand The document puts forth direct questions to the public figure: "Are the claims accurate that you stated ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ while mimicking gas chambers? Did you target your classmates to anti-Jewish taunts?" The Signatories The collective of eleven survivors includes individuals with devastating personal histories from the Nazi genocide. Hedi Argent, who saw the murder of 27 members of her immediate and extended family. Simon Winston, who was confined to a ghetto before fleeing in 1942 and spending the rest of the war concealed. Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau and later moved to Bergen-Belsen, where she was freed. 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 is a response to the rejection of similar allegations by more than two dozen or more former pupils and teachers as "fabricated nonsense" by a deputy leader. Following the publication, further individuals from that era have shared their stories. Twenty-eight people connected to the school now state they observed bigoted conduct by him. One notable account comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish Bafta and Emmy-winning director, who has stated that a teenage Farage would come near him and say the phrases "Hitler had the correct idea" and "gas them", on occasion including a prolonged hissing sound to imitate the sound of poison gas. A Broader Pattern Additional alumni from diverse backgrounds have also come forward with allegations of personal harassment. Cyrus Oshidar stated he was referred to as a "racial slur" and has dismissed the idea that such actions were without intent. Another student of Asian heritage described him as an "avowed bigot" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell had a point" as a form of "ethnic harassment". The Survivors' Final Appeal The survivors' letter poses a final question to Farage: "If you deny saying those words, is your position that dozens of individuals are not telling the truth? If you did say them, now is the time to acknowledge you were wrong and apologise." "People who seek to govern our country should under no circumstances divide people by ethnicity or faith. Hatred of Jews must never become acceptable. This moment is about moral responsibility. The decision is your own, Mr Farage."