A collective of Shoah survivors has called for that Nigel Farage be honest and apologise for alleged anti-Jewish abuse he reportedly directed toward Jewish pupils during his time at school.
The political party leader has previously stated he never targeted anyone with deliberate cruelty, proposing it may have been mere "playground banter".
"As Holocaust survivors, we understand the grave risk of words of hatred – for we have witnessed where such words can lead," declared the survivors in a letter.
"It is crucial to understand: lauding Hitler, mocking gas chambers, or hurling racist abuse is not teasing. Not in a playground. Not anywhere."
A Pointed Inquiry
The correspondence asks blunt 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 subject your peers to bigoted harassment?"
The Signatories
The collective of eleven survivors contains individuals with deeply traumatic personal stories 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 living through the rest of the war concealed.
- Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau and later transferred to 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.
Increasing Allegations
This action follows the dismissal of related testimony by more than two dozen or more ex-schoolmates and teachers as "fabricated nonsense" by a deputy leader.
Following the publication, further individuals from that era have shared their stories. Nearly thirty people connected to the school now assert they saw prejudiced actions by him.
One notable testimony comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish-born award-winning director, who has stated that a teenage Farage would come near him and repeat the phrases "Hitler had the correct idea" and "gas them", at times adding a hiss to simulate the sound of the gas chambers.
Additional Claims
More individuals from minority ethnic backgrounds have likewise shared experiences with accounts of targeted insults.
- Cyrus Oshidar stated he was called a "racial slur" and has rejected the idea that such actions were devoid of malice.
- Another student of Asian heritage characterised him as an "open racist" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell had a point" as a form of "ethnic harassment".
The Survivors' Final Appeal
The missive from survivors asks a concluding dilemma to Farage: "If you deny saying those words, are you claiming that 20 former classmates and teachers are fabricating their stories? If you did say them, now is the time to take responsibility and say sorry."
"Those who hope to lead our country should not ever create division by race or religion. Antisemitic hatred must always be confronted. This moment is about personal accountability. The decision is yours, Mr Farage."
