Nigel Farage has now addressed accusations of racist behavior during his time at school after decades of silence. The leader of Reform UK insisted in a recent ITV interview that any claims of racism from 49 years ago are unfounded, stating he would never racially insult or harm anyone intentionally. This follows allegations from former classmates at Dulwich College in south London, who claimed Farage made pro-Hitler comments, joked about gas chambers, and discriminated against individuals based on their skin color.
Award-winning filmmaker Peter Ettedgui, who was 13 at the time, recounted that Farage would make disturbing remarks like “Hitler was right” or “Gas them” with sound effects mimicking gas chambers. Another former student mentioned Farage allegedly taught songs about gassing Jews during their time in a youth organization known as the CCF.
Additional classmates, Patrick Neylan and Tim France, both 61 years old, recalled instances of singing inappropriate songs and performing Nazi salutes under Farage’s influence during CCF camps. However, a spokesperson for Reform UK denied all these allegations, labeling them as a smear campaign against the party.
During an interview with ITV News, Farage denied racially abusing his peers at school, emphasizing that it was nearly half a century ago and he would never engage in hurtful behavior based on someone’s background. While the interviewer pressed for a clearer denial, Farage reiterated that he had no intent to racially harm anyone and denied engaging in extremist activities or personal abuse on such grounds.
It is important to note that there is no evidence suggesting Farage maintains the same beliefs ascribed to him during his school years, and other classmates do not recall the alleged remarks or behavior described by Ettedgui.
In response to the allegations, a Reform spokesperson dismissed them as baseless, pointing out the lack of corroborating evidence from nearly five decades ago. The party perceives these claims as an attempt to discredit Reform UK, a leading party in numerous opinion polls, with Farage even being considered a frontrunner for the next Prime Minister position according to bookmakers.
As the accusations continue to circulate, Reform UK anticipates further attempts to tarnish their reputation as the next election approaches.