Shoah Survivors Call On Nigel Farage to Apologise Over Reported Antisemitic Remarks.
A coalition of Holocaust survivors has called for that Nigel Farage tell the truth and apologise for reported antisemitic abuse attributed to him toward Jewish students during his time at school.
The Reform UK leader has claimed he never insulted anyone with malicious intent, proposing it may have been mere "childish teasing".
"As Shoah survivors, we understand the grave risk of words of hatred – for we have seen where such words inevitably end," wrote the survivors in a open letter.
"It is crucial to understand: praising Hitler, mocking gas chambers, or hurling racist abuse is not teasing. Not among children. Not under any circumstances."
A Pointed Inquiry
The document asks straightforward questions to the political figure: "Are the claims accurate that you stated ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ accompanied by mimicking gas chambers? Did you target your classmates to bigoted harassment?"
The Survivors
The group of eleven survivors contains individuals with devastating personal stories from the Holocaust.
- Hedi Argent, who was bereaved of 27 members of her immediate and extended family.
- Simon Winston, who was held in a ghetto before fleeing in 1942 and spending the rest of the war in hiding.
- Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was imprisoned at 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 intervention follows the dismissal of corroborating testimony by more than two dozen alumni and teachers as "complete fiction" by a deputy leader.
After the story broke, further individuals from that era have come forward. Twenty-eight ex-students and educators now state they witnessed racist or antisemitic behaviour by him.
One prominent testimony comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish-born Bafta and Emmy-winning director, who recalls that a teenage Farage would approach him and repeat the phrases "Hitler was correct" and "send them to the gas chambers", sometimes adding a long hiss to mimic the sound of gas chambers.
A Broader Pattern
Additional alumni from diverse backgrounds have additionally shared experiences with accounts of targeted insults.
- Cyrus Oshidar said he was referred to as a "racial slur" and has rejected the notion that such actions were without intent.
- Another pupil of Asian descent portrayed him as an "blatant racist" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell had a point" as a form of "racial intimidation".
The Ultimate Question
The missive from survivors puts forth an ultimate challenge to Farage: "Should you continue to deny saying those words, are you claiming that 20 former classmates and teachers are fabricating their stories? Should the allegations be true, now is the opportunity to admit your error and make amends."
"Individuals who seek to govern our country should not ever divide people by background or belief. Hatred of Jews must always be confronted. This moment is about personal accountability. The path forward is your own, Mr Farage."