Shoah Victims Call On Nigel Farage to Say Sorry Over Alleged Anti-Jewish Statements.
A collective of Shoah survivors has insisted that Nigel Farage tell the truth and express remorse for reported antisemitic taunts attributed to him toward Jewish schoolmates during his time at school.
The political party leader has claimed he never insulted anyone with malicious intent, proposing it may have been mere "playground banter".
"As Shoah survivors, we understand the profound danger of hateful words – for we have witnessed where such words can lead," wrote the survivors in a letter.
"Let us be clear: praising Hitler, mocking gas chambers, or shouting racist insults is not teasing. Not among children. Not under any circumstances."
A Pointed Inquiry
The correspondence asks direct questions to the public figure: "Is it true you said ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ while mimicking gas chambers? Did you expose your classmates to antisemitic abuse?"
Those Who Signed
The collective of 11 survivors features individuals with harrowing personal stories from the Holocaust.
- Hedi Argent, who saw the murder of 27 members of her immediate and extended family.
- Simon Winston, who was confined to a ghetto before fleeing in 1942 and spending the rest of the war concealed.
- Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau and later incarcerated at Bergen-Belsen, where she was rescued.
Other signatories include Janine Webber, Edith Jayne, Helen Aronson, Ruth Barnett, John Fieldsend, Susan Pollack, Hanneke Dye and Agnes Kaposi.
Mounting Testimony
This intervention follows the dismissal of related allegations by more than two dozen or more alumni and teachers as "made-up twaddle" by a high-ranking official.
Following the publication, additional former pupils have come forward. Twenty-eight people connected to the school now state they witnessed racist or antisemitic behaviour by him.
One well-known testimony comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish award-winning director, who recalls that a young Farage would sidle up to him and utter the phrases "Hitler was correct" and "send them to the gas chambers", sometimes adding a hiss to mimic the sound of poison gas.
Further Allegations
More individuals from ethnic minorities have additionally spoken publicly with accounts of personal harassment.
- Cyrus Oshidar said he was branded a "racial slur" and has rejected the idea that such actions were not meant to hurt.
- Another individual with Asian roots described him as an "open racist" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell was right" as a form of "racial bullying".
A Concluding Demand
The final appeal asks a concluding challenge to Farage: "By denying saying those words, do you mean that dozens of individuals are lying? If you did say them, now is the time to take responsibility and apologise."
"Individuals who seek to govern our country should not ever sow discord by race or religion. Anti-Jewish bigotry must always be confronted. This moment is about ethical duty. The path forward is yours, Mr Farage."
