Shoah Victims Call On Nigel Farage to Say Sorry Over Alleged Antisemitic Comments.
A group of Shoah survivors has called for that Nigel Farage admit the facts and issue an apology for alleged anti-Jewish abuse he reportedly directed toward Jewish schoolmates during his youth.
The Reform UK leader has claimed he never racially abused anyone with the aim to hurt, framing it may have been mere "schoolyard talk".
"As Holocaust survivors, we understand the grave risk of words of hatred – because we have witnessed where such words can lead," declared the survivors in a open letter.
"Let us be clear: lauding Hitler, mimicking gas chambers, or directing racial slurs is not banter. Not on a schoolyard. Not under any circumstances."
A Pointed Inquiry
The document poses direct questions to the public figure: "Did you say ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ accompanied by mimicking gas chambers? Did you target your peers to anti-Jewish taunts?"
Those Who Signed
The collective of 11 survivors contains individuals with deeply traumatic personal stories from the Nazi genocide.
- Hedi Argent, who lost 27 members of her family.
- Simon Winston, who was imprisoned in 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 transferred 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.
Growing Accounts
This action comes after the characterisation of similar accounts by more than several dozen former pupils and teachers as "complete fiction" by a high-ranking official.
After the story broke, additional former pupils have shared their stories. Nearly thirty former pupils and teachers now assert they saw racist or antisemitic behaviour by him.
One well-known account comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish Bafta and Emmy-winning director, who has stated that a young Farage would come near him and say the phrases "Hitler had the correct idea" and "send them to the gas chambers", sometimes including a hiss to mimic the sound of poison gas.
Additional Claims
Additional alumni from diverse backgrounds have additionally spoken publicly with allegations of direct abuse.
- Cyrus Oshidar claimed he was branded a "Paki" and has rejected the claim that such actions were not meant to hurt.
- Another pupil of Asian descent characterised him as an "blatant racist" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell was right" as a form of "ethnic harassment".
The Ultimate Question
The missive from survivors poses a final dilemma to Farage: "If you deny saying those words, do you mean that 20 former classmates and teachers are fabricating their stories? If the words were spoken, now is the time to take responsibility and make amends."
"Those who aspire to lead our country should not ever divide people by background or belief. Antisemitic hatred must always be confronted. This moment is about moral responsibility. The path forward is your own, Mr Farage."