🔗 Share this article Shoah Victims Urge Nigel Farage to Make Amends Over Reported Antisemitic Statements. A coalition of Holocaust survivors has insisted that Nigel Farage be honest and express remorse for alleged antisemitic abuse attributed to him toward Jewish pupils during his school days. The Reform UK leader has claimed he never targeted anyone with malicious intent, suggesting it may have been mere "schoolyard talk". "Being Holocaust survivors, we comprehend the deadly peril of bigoted language – because we have experienced firsthand where such words inevitably end," wrote the survivors in a letter. "It is crucial to understand: expressing admiration for Hitler, mocking gas chambers, or hurling racist abuse is not banter. Not on a schoolyard. Not ever." A Direct Question The letter puts forth straightforward questions to the party leader: "Are the claims accurate that you stated ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ accompanied by mimicking gas chambers? Did you expose your fellow pupils to antisemitic abuse?" The Signatories The collective of eleven survivors features individuals with deeply traumatic personal stories from the Holocaust. Hedi Argent, who was bereaved of 27 members of her family. Simon Winston, who was imprisoned in a ghetto before fleeing 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 rescued. The remaining survivors 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 rejection of similar accounts by more than two dozen ex-schoolmates and teachers as "made-up twaddle" by a high-ranking official. Following the publication, more contemporaries have shared their stories. 28 ex-students and educators now assert they saw prejudiced actions by him. One notable allegation comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish-born Bafta and Emmy-winning director, who has stated that a teenage Farage would approach him and repeat the phrases "Hitler was right" and "send them to the gas chambers", on occasion making a prolonged hissing sound to mimic the sound of poison gas. A Broader Pattern More individuals from ethnic minorities have likewise come forward with accounts of personal harassment. Cyrus Oshidar stated he was referred to as a "Paki" and has dismissed the claim that such actions were not meant to hurt. Another student of Asian heritage portrayed him as an "open racist" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell was right" as a form of "ethnic harassment". The Ultimate Question The survivors' letter poses a final question to Farage: "By denying saying those words, do you mean that 20 former classmates and teachers are fabricating their stories? If the words were spoken, now is the opportunity to admit your error and say sorry." "People who seek to govern our country should never create division by background or belief. Antisemitic hatred must always be confronted. This moment is about moral responsibility. The choice is your own, Mr Farage."
A coalition of Holocaust survivors has insisted that Nigel Farage be honest and express remorse for alleged antisemitic abuse attributed to him toward Jewish pupils during his school days. The Reform UK leader has claimed he never targeted anyone with malicious intent, suggesting it may have been mere "schoolyard talk". "Being Holocaust survivors, we comprehend the deadly peril of bigoted language – because we have experienced firsthand where such words inevitably end," wrote the survivors in a letter. "It is crucial to understand: expressing admiration for Hitler, mocking gas chambers, or hurling racist abuse is not banter. Not on a schoolyard. Not ever." A Direct Question The letter puts forth straightforward questions to the party leader: "Are the claims accurate that you stated ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ accompanied by mimicking gas chambers? Did you expose your fellow pupils to antisemitic abuse?" The Signatories The collective of eleven survivors features individuals with deeply traumatic personal stories from the Holocaust. Hedi Argent, who was bereaved of 27 members of her family. Simon Winston, who was imprisoned in a ghetto before fleeing 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 rescued. The remaining survivors 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 rejection of similar accounts by more than two dozen ex-schoolmates and teachers as "made-up twaddle" by a high-ranking official. Following the publication, more contemporaries have shared their stories. 28 ex-students and educators now assert they saw prejudiced actions by him. One notable allegation comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish-born Bafta and Emmy-winning director, who has stated that a teenage Farage would approach him and repeat the phrases "Hitler was right" and "send them to the gas chambers", on occasion making a prolonged hissing sound to mimic the sound of poison gas. A Broader Pattern More individuals from ethnic minorities have likewise come forward with accounts of personal harassment. Cyrus Oshidar stated he was referred to as a "Paki" and has dismissed the claim that such actions were not meant to hurt. Another student of Asian heritage portrayed him as an "open racist" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell was right" as a form of "ethnic harassment". The Ultimate Question The survivors' letter poses a final question to Farage: "By denying saying those words, do you mean that 20 former classmates and teachers are fabricating their stories? If the words were spoken, now is the opportunity to admit your error and say sorry." "People who seek to govern our country should never create division by background or belief. Antisemitic hatred must always be confronted. This moment is about moral responsibility. The choice is your own, Mr Farage."