A group of Shoah survivors has called for that Nigel Farage tell the truth and issue an apology for reported antisemitic comments he is said to have made toward Jewish students during his time at school.
The political party leader has previously stated he never targeted anyone with the aim to hurt, suggesting it may have been mere "childish teasing".
"Being Shoah survivors, we grasp the profound danger of bigoted language – for we have experienced firsthand where such words ultimately lead," wrote the survivors in a letter.
"It is crucial to understand: lauding Hitler, jeering at gas chambers, or hurling racist abuse is not simple joking. Not among children. Not under any circumstances."
A Pointed Inquiry
The document puts forth direct questions to the political figure: "Did you say ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ and mimicked gas chambers? Did you target your classmates to anti-Jewish taunts?"
The Survivors
The collective of eleven survivors features individuals with harrowing personal histories from the Nazi genocide.
- Hedi Argent, who was bereaved 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 as a fugitive.
- Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau and later transferred to 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.
Increasing Allegations
This public letter comes after the rejection of corroborating testimony by more than two dozen alumni and teachers as "fabricated nonsense" by a deputy leader.
After the story broke, more contemporaries have shared their stories. 28 former pupils and teachers now assert they observed bigoted conduct by him.
One prominent testimony comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish-born award-winning director, who said that a young Farage would approach him and repeat the phrases "Hitler was correct" and "send them to the gas chambers", sometimes including a prolonged hissing sound to simulate the sound of gas chambers.
Additional Claims
More individuals from ethnic minorities have additionally spoken publicly with allegations of personal harassment.
- Cyrus Oshidar claimed he was referred to as a "racial slur" and has dismissed the notion that such actions were without intent.
- Another individual with Asian roots characterised him as an "blatant racist" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell had a point" as a form of "racial bullying".
The Ultimate Question
The survivors' letter poses a final dilemma to Farage: "If you deny saying those words, are you claiming that dozens of individuals are fabricating their stories? If you did say them, now is the opportunity to admit your error and apologise."
"People who hope to lead our country should never sow discord by ethnicity or faith. Antisemitic hatred must never become acceptable. This moment is about moral responsibility. The choice is your own, Mr Farage."
