Shoah Survivors Urge Nigel Farage to Apologise Over Alleged Anti-Jewish Statements.

A group of Holocaust survivors has called for that Nigel Farage admit the facts and issue an apology for reported antisemitic comments he is said to have made toward Jewish pupils during his school days.

The political party leader has said he never targeted anyone with the aim to hurt, framing it may have been mere "schoolyard talk".

"Being Holocaust survivors, we comprehend the profound danger of bigoted language – because we have experienced firsthand where such words ultimately lead," stated the survivors in a missive.

"Let us be clear: expressing admiration for Hitler, jeering at gas chambers, or directing racial slurs is not banter. Not on a schoolyard. Not anywhere."

An Unequivocal Demand

The document 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 target your classmates to bigoted harassment?"

Those Who Signed

The group of eleven survivors contains individuals with devastating personal stories from the Holocaust.

• Hedi Argent, who saw the murder of 27 members of her family.
• Simon Winston, who was held in a ghetto before escaping in 1942 and living through the rest of the war concealed.
• Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was imprisoned at Auschwitz-Birkenau and later moved to Bergen-Belsen, where she was freed.

Other signatories 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 rejection of corroborating testimony by more than two dozen alumni and teachers as "made-up twaddle" by a deputy leader.

Since the initial report, additional former pupils have come forward. Nearly thirty former pupils and teachers now state they saw bigoted conduct by him.

One well-known allegation comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish Bafta and Emmy-winning director, who has stated that a young Farage would sidle up to him and utter the phrases "Hitler had the correct idea" and "gas them", on occasion adding a prolonged hissing sound to mimic the sound of gas chambers.

A Broader Pattern

Additional alumni from diverse backgrounds have likewise shared experiences with stories of personal harassment.

• Cyrus Oshidar stated he was branded a "Paki" and has rejected the claim that such actions were devoid of malice.
• Another individual with Asian roots portrayed him as an "avowed bigot" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell had a point" as a form of "racial intimidation".

The Survivors' Final Appeal

The survivors' letter asks a concluding dilemma to Farage: "If you deny saying those words, are you claiming that scores of witnesses are fabricating their stories? If the words were spoken, now is the moment to acknowledge you were wrong and apologise."

"Individuals who seek to govern our country should not ever sow discord by background or belief. Antisemitic hatred must always be confronted. This moment is about ethical duty. The decision is your own, Mr Farage."