🔗 Share this article Holocaust Victims Urge Nigel Farage to Make Amends Over Reported Anti-Jewish Remarks. A collective of Holocaust survivors has called for that Nigel Farage be honest and express remorse for reported antisemitic taunts attributed to him toward Jewish students during his youth. The Reform UK leader has previously stated he never targeted anyone with deliberate cruelty, framing it may have been mere "childish teasing". "As Shoah survivors, we grasp the profound danger of hateful words – for we have witnessed where such words can lead," stated the survivors in a letter. "We must be unambiguous: lauding Hitler, mimicking gas chambers, or directing racial slurs is not teasing. Not in a playground. Not anywhere." A Pointed Inquiry The document poses blunt questions to the public figure: "Are the claims accurate that you stated ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ and mimicked gas chambers? Did you expose your fellow pupils to anti-Jewish taunts?" Those Who Signed The group of 11 survivors contains individuals with devastating 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 escaping in 1942 and spending the rest of the war concealed. Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau and later moved to 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 comes after the dismissal of related allegations by more than several dozen ex-schoolmates and teachers as "complete fiction" by a deputy leader. Following the publication, more contemporaries have shared their stories. 28 former pupils and teachers now state they witnessed prejudiced actions by him. One well-known account comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish Bafta and Emmy-winning director, who has stated that a teenage Farage would come near him and repeat the phrases "Hitler was right" and "gas them", on occasion adding a long hiss to imitate the sound of gas chambers. A Broader Pattern Additional alumni from ethnic minorities have likewise shared experiences with stories of direct abuse. Cyrus Oshidar stated he was referred to as a "Paki" and has labelled as rubbish the notion that such actions were not meant to hurt. Another individual with Asian roots characterised him as an "open racist" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell was right" as a form of "racial bullying". A Concluding Demand The missive from survivors puts forth an ultimate question to Farage: "By denying saying those words, are you claiming that 20 former classmates and teachers are not telling the truth? Should the allegations be true, now is the opportunity to acknowledge you were wrong and make amends." "People who aspire to lead our country should under no circumstances create division by ethnicity or faith. Antisemitic hatred must never be normalised. This moment is about moral responsibility. The path forward is your own, Mr Farage."
A collective of Holocaust survivors has called for that Nigel Farage be honest and express remorse for reported antisemitic taunts attributed to him toward Jewish students during his youth. The Reform UK leader has previously stated he never targeted anyone with deliberate cruelty, framing it may have been mere "childish teasing". "As Shoah survivors, we grasp the profound danger of hateful words – for we have witnessed where such words can lead," stated the survivors in a letter. "We must be unambiguous: lauding Hitler, mimicking gas chambers, or directing racial slurs is not teasing. Not in a playground. Not anywhere." A Pointed Inquiry The document poses blunt questions to the public figure: "Are the claims accurate that you stated ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ and mimicked gas chambers? Did you expose your fellow pupils to anti-Jewish taunts?" Those Who Signed The group of 11 survivors contains individuals with devastating 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 escaping in 1942 and spending the rest of the war concealed. Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau and later moved to 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 comes after the dismissal of related allegations by more than several dozen ex-schoolmates and teachers as "complete fiction" by a deputy leader. Following the publication, more contemporaries have shared their stories. 28 former pupils and teachers now state they witnessed prejudiced actions by him. One well-known account comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish Bafta and Emmy-winning director, who has stated that a teenage Farage would come near him and repeat the phrases "Hitler was right" and "gas them", on occasion adding a long hiss to imitate the sound of gas chambers. A Broader Pattern Additional alumni from ethnic minorities have likewise shared experiences with stories of direct abuse. Cyrus Oshidar stated he was referred to as a "Paki" and has labelled as rubbish the notion that such actions were not meant to hurt. Another individual with Asian roots characterised him as an "open racist" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell was right" as a form of "racial bullying". A Concluding Demand The missive from survivors puts forth an ultimate question to Farage: "By denying saying those words, are you claiming that 20 former classmates and teachers are not telling the truth? Should the allegations be true, now is the opportunity to acknowledge you were wrong and make amends." "People who aspire to lead our country should under no circumstances create division by ethnicity or faith. Antisemitic hatred must never be normalised. This moment is about moral responsibility. The path forward is your own, Mr Farage."