Shoah Survivors Call On Nigel Farage to Make Amends Over Alleged Antisemitic Remarks.

A coalition of Shoah survivors has publicly demanded that Nigel Farage be honest and issue an apology for reported antisemitic comments attributed to him toward Jewish students during his time at school.

The political party leader has previously stated he never insulted anyone with the aim to hurt, suggesting it may have been mere "schoolyard talk".

"Being Holocaust survivors, we understand the deadly peril of words of hatred – because we have experienced firsthand where such words ultimately lead," wrote the survivors in a missive.

"Let us be clear: expressing admiration for Hitler, mimicking gas chambers, or hurling racist abuse is not simple joking. Not in a playground. Not under any circumstances."

A Pointed Inquiry

The correspondence poses straightforward questions to the political figure: "Is it true you said ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ and mimicked gas chambers? Did you target your fellow pupils to bigoted harassment?"

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 family.
• Simon Winston, who was held in a ghetto before breaking out in 1942 and spending the rest of the war concealed.
• 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.

Mounting Testimony

This action comes after the dismissal of corroborating allegations by more than two dozen or more ex-schoolmates and teachers as "complete fiction" by a high-ranking official.

After the story broke, additional former pupils have spoken out. Twenty-eight former pupils and teachers now claim they witnessed bigoted conduct by him.

One notable allegation comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish-born Bafta and Emmy-winning director, who has stated that a teenage Farage would come near him and repeat the phrases "Hitler had the correct idea" and "send them to the gas chambers", at times adding a long hiss to mimic the sound of poison gas.

Additional Claims

More individuals from minority ethnic backgrounds have likewise come forward with accounts of personal harassment.

• Cyrus Oshidar claimed he was referred to as a "racial slur" and has labelled as rubbish the notion that such actions were without intent.
• Another pupil of Asian descent characterised him as an "avowed bigot" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell had a point" as a form of "ethnic harassment".

The Ultimate Question

The final appeal asks a concluding question to Farage: "By denying saying those words, do you mean that dozens of individuals are fabricating their stories? If you did say them, now is the moment to admit your error and make amends."

"Individuals who aspire to lead our country should never create division by race or religion. Hatred of Jews must never be normalised. This moment is about personal accountability. The path forward is yours, Mr Farage."