Holocaust Survivors Call On Nigel Farage to Apologise Over Alleged Anti-Jewish Remarks.

A coalition of Shoah survivors has called for that Nigel Farage be honest and apologise for alleged anti-Jewish abuse attributed to him toward Jewish pupils during his youth.

The political party leader has said he never racially abused anyone with malicious intent, suggesting it may have been mere "playground banter".

"Being Holocaust survivors, we understand the profound danger of hateful words – for we have seen where such words inevitably end," declared the survivors in a open letter.

"Let us be clear: lauding Hitler, mocking gas chambers, or shouting racist insults is not simple joking. Not among children. Not anywhere."

A Pointed Inquiry

The letter puts forth direct questions to the party leader: "Is it true you said ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ and mimicked gas chambers? Did you expose your fellow pupils to antisemitic abuse?"

The Signatories

The group of 11 survivors features individuals with harrowing personal stories from the Holocaust.

• Hedi Argent, who saw the murder of 27 members of her family.
• Simon Winston, who was imprisoned in a ghetto before breaking out in 1942 and living through the rest of the war in hiding.
• Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was imprisoned at 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.

Increasing Allegations

This action comes after the dismissal of related accounts by more than two dozen former pupils and teachers as "fabricated nonsense" by a high-ranking official.

Since the initial report, more contemporaries have spoken out. 28 ex-students and educators now claim they saw prejudiced actions by him.

One well-known allegation comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish Bafta and Emmy-winning director, who said that a young Farage would sidle up to him and say the phrases "Hitler was correct" and "send them to the gas chambers", on occasion adding a long hiss to imitate the sound of gas chambers.

A Broader Pattern

Additional alumni from ethnic minorities have also shared experiences with allegations of direct abuse.

• Cyrus Oshidar said he was branded a "Paki" and has rejected the notion that such actions were without intent.
• Another pupil of Asian descent described him as an "blatant racist" 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, is your position that 20 former classmates and teachers are not telling the truth? If you did say them, now is the opportunity to admit your error and make amends."

"Those who seek to govern our country should not ever create division by ethnicity or faith. Hatred of Jews must always be confronted. This moment is about personal accountability. The path forward is yours, Mr Farage."