Holocaust Victims Urge Nigel Farage to Apologise Over Alleged Antisemitic Statements.

A coalition of Shoah survivors has publicly demanded that Nigel Farage tell the truth and express remorse for reported antisemitic comments he reportedly directed toward Jewish schoolmates during his time at school.

The political party leader has previously stated he never targeted anyone with malicious intent, framing it may have been mere "playground banter".

"As Shoah survivors, we grasp the profound danger of hateful words – for we have witnessed where such words ultimately lead," wrote the survivors in a letter.

"We must be unambiguous: praising Hitler, mocking gas chambers, or shouting racist insults is not simple joking. Not in a playground. Not ever."

A Pointed Inquiry

The letter poses straightforward questions to the political figure: "Is it true you said ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ while mimicking gas chambers? Did you target your fellow pupils to antisemitic abuse?"

The Survivors

The collective of 11 survivors contains 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 breaking out in 1942 and living through the rest of the war as a fugitive.
• Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was imprisoned at Auschwitz-Birkenau and later incarcerated at Bergen-Belsen, where she was liberated.

Other signatories 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 characterisation of related allegations by more than two dozen former pupils and teachers as "made-up twaddle" by a deputy leader.

Since the initial report, additional former pupils have shared their stories. Nearly thirty former pupils and teachers now state they observed bigoted conduct by him.

One well-known allegation comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish award-winning director, who recalls that a teenage Farage would approach him and say the phrases "Hitler had the correct idea" and "send them to the gas chambers", sometimes making a prolonged hissing sound to imitate the sound of the gas chambers.

Additional Claims

Other former pupils from ethnic minorities have likewise come forward with allegations of personal harassment.

• Cyrus Oshidar claimed he was called a "Paki" and has labelled as rubbish the idea that such actions were not meant to hurt.
• Another individual with Asian roots described him as an "blatant racist" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell was right" as a form of "ethnic harassment".

The Survivors' Final Appeal

The missive from survivors puts forth an ultimate challenge to Farage: "Should you continue to deny saying those words, do you mean that scores of witnesses are lying? Should the allegations be true, now is the time to admit your error and make amends."

"Those who seek to govern our country should under no circumstances sow discord by race or religion. Hatred of Jews must never become acceptable. This moment is about personal accountability. The choice is your own, Mr Farage."