🔗 Share this article Holocaust Victims Urge Nigel Farage to Apologise Over Reported Anti-Jewish Statements. A coalition of Holocaust survivors has called for that Nigel Farage admit the facts and express remorse for alleged anti-Jewish abuse he reportedly directed toward Jewish pupils during his school days. The political party leader has previously stated he never insulted anyone with the aim to hurt, framing it may have been mere "childish teasing". "Being Holocaust survivors, we understand the deadly peril of words of hatred – for we have witnessed where such words ultimately lead," wrote the survivors in a missive. "We must be unambiguous: lauding Hitler, jeering at gas chambers, or directing racial slurs is not banter. Not among children. Not anywhere." A Pointed Inquiry The letter puts forth direct questions to the party leader: "Did you say ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ and mimicked gas chambers? Did you target your fellow pupils to anti-Jewish taunts?" The Survivors The collective of 11 survivors includes individuals with harrowing personal stories from the Holocaust. Hedi Argent, who was bereaved of 27 members of her family. Simon Winston, who was confined to a ghetto before breaking out in 1942 and spending the rest of the war as a fugitive. Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau and later incarcerated at 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. Growing Accounts This public letter comes after the characterisation of similar allegations by more than several dozen alumni and teachers as "made-up twaddle" by a high-ranking official. After the story broke, more contemporaries have come forward. 28 former pupils and teachers now assert they witnessed prejudiced actions by him. One prominent account comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish award-winning director, who said that a young Farage would come near him and repeat the phrases "Hitler was right" and "gas them", sometimes including a prolonged hissing sound to mimic the sound of gas chambers. A Broader Pattern More individuals from diverse backgrounds have likewise spoken publicly with allegations of targeted insults. Cyrus Oshidar said he was called a "Paki" and has rejected the notion that such actions were without intent. Another pupil of Asian descent described him as an "avowed bigot" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell had a point" as a form of "racial intimidation". A Concluding Demand The final appeal asks a concluding dilemma to Farage: "Should you continue to deny saying those words, do you mean that dozens of individuals are fabricating their stories? If you did say them, now is the moment to admit your error and say sorry." "People who hope to lead our country should not ever sow discord by ethnicity or faith. Antisemitic hatred must never be normalised. This moment is about moral responsibility. The choice is yours, Mr Farage."
A coalition of Holocaust survivors has called for that Nigel Farage admit the facts and express remorse for alleged anti-Jewish abuse he reportedly directed toward Jewish pupils during his school days. The political party leader has previously stated he never insulted anyone with the aim to hurt, framing it may have been mere "childish teasing". "Being Holocaust survivors, we understand the deadly peril of words of hatred – for we have witnessed where such words ultimately lead," wrote the survivors in a missive. "We must be unambiguous: lauding Hitler, jeering at gas chambers, or directing racial slurs is not banter. Not among children. Not anywhere." A Pointed Inquiry The letter puts forth direct questions to the party leader: "Did you say ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ and mimicked gas chambers? Did you target your fellow pupils to anti-Jewish taunts?" The Survivors The collective of 11 survivors includes individuals with harrowing personal stories from the Holocaust. Hedi Argent, who was bereaved of 27 members of her family. Simon Winston, who was confined to a ghetto before breaking out in 1942 and spending the rest of the war as a fugitive. Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau and later incarcerated at 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. Growing Accounts This public letter comes after the characterisation of similar allegations by more than several dozen alumni and teachers as "made-up twaddle" by a high-ranking official. After the story broke, more contemporaries have come forward. 28 former pupils and teachers now assert they witnessed prejudiced actions by him. One prominent account comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish award-winning director, who said that a young Farage would come near him and repeat the phrases "Hitler was right" and "gas them", sometimes including a prolonged hissing sound to mimic the sound of gas chambers. A Broader Pattern More individuals from diverse backgrounds have likewise spoken publicly with allegations of targeted insults. Cyrus Oshidar said he was called a "Paki" and has rejected the notion that such actions were without intent. Another pupil of Asian descent described him as an "avowed bigot" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell had a point" as a form of "racial intimidation". A Concluding Demand The final appeal asks a concluding dilemma to Farage: "Should you continue to deny saying those words, do you mean that dozens of individuals are fabricating their stories? If you did say them, now is the moment to admit your error and say sorry." "People who hope to lead our country should not ever sow discord by ethnicity or faith. Antisemitic hatred must never be normalised. This moment is about moral responsibility. The choice is yours, Mr Farage."