Holocaust Victims Urge Nigel Farage to Make Amends Over Claimed Anti-Jewish Statements.

A coalition of Holocaust survivors has called for that Nigel Farage tell the truth and apologise for alleged antisemitic abuse he is said to have made toward Jewish pupils during his time at school.

The Reform UK leader has said he never targeted anyone with malicious intent, suggesting it may have been mere "schoolyard talk".

"As Holocaust survivors, we understand the profound danger of bigoted language – for we have seen where such words can lead," wrote the survivors in a open letter.

"We must be unambiguous: expressing admiration for Hitler, jeering at gas chambers, or shouting racist insults is not simple joking. Not among children. Not under any circumstances."

A Pointed Inquiry

The correspondence asks 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?"

Those Who Signed

The group of eleven survivors contains individuals with devastating personal histories from the Nazi genocide.

• Hedi Argent, who lost 27 members of her family.
• Simon Winston, who was held in a ghetto before escaping in 1942 and spending the rest of the war in hiding.
• Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau and later incarcerated at Bergen-Belsen, where she was rescued.

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

Mounting Testimony

This intervention comes after the characterisation of corroborating allegations by more than two dozen or more alumni and teachers as "complete fiction" by a high-ranking official.

After the story broke, further individuals from that era have shared their stories. Nearly thirty people connected to the school now assert they witnessed bigoted conduct by him.

One notable testimony comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish award-winning director, who said that a young Farage would come near him and say the phrases "Hitler had the correct idea" and "send them to the gas chambers", sometimes including a long hiss to imitate the sound of the gas chambers.

Further Allegations

Other former pupils from diverse backgrounds have also spoken publicly with accounts of direct abuse.

• Cyrus Oshidar claimed he was branded a "racial slur" and has dismissed the notion that such actions were devoid of malice.
• Another student of Asian heritage characterised him as an "blatant racist" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell was right" as a form of "racial intimidation".

The Survivors' Final Appeal

The survivors' letter puts forth an ultimate dilemma to Farage: "If you deny saying those words, are you claiming that dozens of individuals are not telling the truth? If you did say them, now is the moment to acknowledge you were wrong and make amends."

"People who seek to govern our country should not ever divide people by ethnicity or faith. Hatred of Jews must never be normalised. This moment is about moral responsibility. The path forward is yours, Mr Farage."