Shoah Survivors Call On Nigel Farage to Make Amends Over Reported Antisemitic Remarks.
A coalition of Shoah survivors has insisted that Nigel Farage tell the truth and express remorse for reported anti-Jewish taunts he reportedly directed toward Jewish students during his youth.
The Reform UK leader has previously stated he never targeted anyone with the aim to hurt, proposing it may have been mere "schoolyard talk".
"Being Holocaust survivors, we grasp the profound danger of hateful words – because we have experienced firsthand where such words can lead," stated the survivors in a open letter.
"Let us be clear: praising Hitler, mimicking gas chambers, or shouting racist insults is not teasing. Not on a schoolyard. Not under any circumstances."
A Pointed Inquiry
The letter poses straightforward questions to the party leader: "Did you say ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ and mimicked gas chambers? Did you subject your classmates to antisemitic abuse?"
The Signatories
The group of 11 survivors contains individuals with devastating personal experiences from the Holocaust.
- Hedi Argent, who lost 27 members of her family.
- Simon Winston, who was held in a ghetto before escaping in 1942 and living through the rest of the war as a fugitive.
- Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau and later incarcerated at 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.
Increasing Allegations
This public letter follows the characterisation of similar allegations by more than two dozen former pupils and teachers as "made-up twaddle" by a deputy leader.
Following the publication, further individuals from that era have spoken out. 28 ex-students and educators now assert they witnessed bigoted conduct by him.
One notable account comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish award-winning director, who has stated that a young Farage would approach him and say the phrases "Hitler had the correct idea" and "gas them", on occasion including a prolonged hissing sound to imitate the sound of the gas chambers.
A Broader Pattern
Additional alumni from ethnic minorities have likewise spoken publicly with allegations of direct abuse.
- Cyrus Oshidar stated he was branded a "racial slur" and has dismissed the idea that such actions were devoid of malice.
- Another pupil of Asian descent characterised him as an "open racist" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell was right" as a form of "ethnic harassment".
The Ultimate Question
The missive from survivors puts forth an ultimate question to Farage: "If you deny saying those words, is your position that scores of witnesses are lying? Should the allegations be true, now is the time to take responsibility and apologise."
"Those who hope to lead our country should not ever divide people by race or religion. Anti-Jewish bigotry must always be confronted. This moment is about ethical duty. The choice is yours, Mr Farage."
