🔗 Share this article Holocaust Survivors Urge Nigel Farage to Apologise Over Reported Anti-Jewish Statements. A collective of Shoah survivors has publicly demanded that Nigel Farage admit the facts and apologise for alleged antisemitic comments he reportedly directed toward Jewish students during his time at school. The Reform UK leader has previously stated he never targeted anyone with malicious intent, framing it may have been mere "schoolyard talk". "As Holocaust survivors, we grasp the deadly peril of hateful words – for we have witnessed where such words can lead," declared the survivors in a missive. "We must be unambiguous: lauding Hitler, mimicking gas chambers, or hurling racist abuse is not banter. Not in a playground. Not anywhere." An Unequivocal Demand The correspondence poses straightforward questions to the party leader: "Are the claims accurate that you stated ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ while mimicking gas chambers? Did you expose your classmates to antisemitic abuse?" The Signatories The group of 11 survivors features individuals with devastating personal stories from the Nazi genocide. Hedi Argent, who was bereaved of 27 members of her family. Simon Winston, who was imprisoned in a ghetto before escaping in 1942 and living through the rest of the war in hiding. Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau and later moved 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. Growing Accounts This action follows the dismissal of corroborating allegations by more than several dozen alumni and teachers as "fabricated nonsense" by a senior party figure. Following the publication, more contemporaries have shared their stories. Nearly thirty people connected to the school now state they witnessed bigoted conduct by him. One prominent account comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish Bafta and Emmy-winning director, who has stated that a teenage Farage would come near him and say the phrases "Hitler had the correct idea" and "send them to the gas chambers", on occasion including a long hiss to mimic the sound of the gas chambers. A Broader Pattern Additional alumni from diverse backgrounds have also spoken publicly with allegations of personal harassment. Cyrus Oshidar said he was referred to as a "Paki" and has dismissed the notion that such actions were devoid of malice. Another pupil of Asian descent described him as an "open racist" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell had a point" as a form of "racial bullying". A Concluding Demand The missive from survivors poses a final dilemma to Farage: "By denying saying those words, are you claiming that 20 former classmates and teachers are lying? If the words were spoken, now is the moment to admit your error and apologise." "Individuals who seek to govern our country should under no circumstances divide people by race or religion. Anti-Jewish bigotry must always be confronted. This moment is about personal accountability. The choice is your own, Mr Farage."
A collective of Shoah survivors has publicly demanded that Nigel Farage admit the facts and apologise for alleged antisemitic comments he reportedly directed toward Jewish students during his time at school. The Reform UK leader has previously stated he never targeted anyone with malicious intent, framing it may have been mere "schoolyard talk". "As Holocaust survivors, we grasp the deadly peril of hateful words – for we have witnessed where such words can lead," declared the survivors in a missive. "We must be unambiguous: lauding Hitler, mimicking gas chambers, or hurling racist abuse is not banter. Not in a playground. Not anywhere." An Unequivocal Demand The correspondence poses straightforward questions to the party leader: "Are the claims accurate that you stated ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ while mimicking gas chambers? Did you expose your classmates to antisemitic abuse?" The Signatories The group of 11 survivors features individuals with devastating personal stories from the Nazi genocide. Hedi Argent, who was bereaved of 27 members of her family. Simon Winston, who was imprisoned in a ghetto before escaping in 1942 and living through the rest of the war in hiding. Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau and later moved 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. Growing Accounts This action follows the dismissal of corroborating allegations by more than several dozen alumni and teachers as "fabricated nonsense" by a senior party figure. Following the publication, more contemporaries have shared their stories. Nearly thirty people connected to the school now state they witnessed bigoted conduct by him. One prominent account comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish Bafta and Emmy-winning director, who has stated that a teenage Farage would come near him and say the phrases "Hitler had the correct idea" and "send them to the gas chambers", on occasion including a long hiss to mimic the sound of the gas chambers. A Broader Pattern Additional alumni from diverse backgrounds have also spoken publicly with allegations of personal harassment. Cyrus Oshidar said he was referred to as a "Paki" and has dismissed the notion that such actions were devoid of malice. Another pupil of Asian descent described him as an "open racist" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell had a point" as a form of "racial bullying". A Concluding Demand The missive from survivors poses a final dilemma to Farage: "By denying saying those words, are you claiming that 20 former classmates and teachers are lying? If the words were spoken, now is the moment to admit your error and apologise." "Individuals who seek to govern our country should under no circumstances divide people by race or religion. Anti-Jewish bigotry must always be confronted. This moment is about personal accountability. The choice is your own, Mr Farage."