Shoah Victims Urge Nigel Farage to Apologise Over Alleged Anti-Jewish Remarks.
A collective of Shoah survivors has insisted that Nigel Farage tell the truth and express remorse for reported anti-Jewish taunts he is said to have made toward Jewish schoolmates during his time at school.
The Reform UK leader has said he never targeted anyone with deliberate cruelty, framing it may have been mere "schoolyard talk".
"Being Shoah survivors, we understand the deadly peril of words of hatred – because we have witnessed where such words can lead," stated the survivors in a open letter.
"Let us be clear: expressing admiration for Hitler, mimicking gas chambers, or shouting racist insults is not banter. Not among children. Not under any circumstances."
An Unequivocal Demand
The document asks direct questions to the party leader: "Are the claims accurate that you stated ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ and mimicked gas chambers? Did you subject your fellow pupils to antisemitic abuse?"
The Survivors
The group of eleven survivors features individuals with harrowing personal stories from the Holocaust.
- Hedi Argent, who lost 27 members of her immediate and extended family.
- Simon Winston, who was confined to a ghetto before escaping in 1942 and living through the rest of the war concealed.
- Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau and later moved to Bergen-Belsen, where she was liberated.
The remaining survivors include Janine Webber, Edith Jayne, Helen Aronson, Ruth Barnett, John Fieldsend, Susan Pollack, Hanneke Dye and Agnes Kaposi.
Increasing Allegations
This intervention is a response to the characterisation of similar testimony by more than several dozen alumni and teachers as "made-up twaddle" by a high-ranking official.
Since the initial report, more contemporaries have shared their stories. Twenty-eight people connected to the school now state they witnessed prejudiced actions by him.
One notable allegation 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 right" and "gas them", at times including a hiss to mimic the sound of poison gas.
Further Allegations
More individuals from minority ethnic backgrounds have likewise come forward with allegations of direct abuse.
- Cyrus Oshidar claimed he was called a "Paki" and has dismissed the notion 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 bullying".
The Survivors' Final Appeal
The final appeal puts forth an ultimate question to Farage: "If you deny saying those words, do you mean that 20 former classmates and teachers are lying? Should the allegations be true, now is the time to take responsibility and apologise."
"Those who aspire to lead our country should never create division by race or religion. Hatred of Jews must never become acceptable. This moment is about personal accountability. The path forward is yours, Mr Farage."
