Shoah Survivors Call On Nigel Farage to Make Amends Over Alleged Anti-Jewish Statements.
A group of Shoah survivors has called for that Nigel Farage be honest and express remorse for alleged antisemitic comments he reportedly directed toward Jewish students during his school days.
The Reform UK leader has previously stated he never racially abused anyone with the aim to hurt, proposing it may have been mere "childish teasing".
"Being Holocaust survivors, we grasp the deadly peril of hateful words – for we have seen where such words ultimately lead," wrote the survivors in a letter.
"We must be unambiguous: praising Hitler, mocking gas chambers, or directing racial slurs is not simple joking. Not among children. Not under any circumstances."
A Direct Question
The document poses direct questions to the public figure: "Are the claims accurate that you stated ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ while mimicking gas chambers? Did you expose your classmates to antisemitic abuse?"
Those Who Signed
The group of 11 survivors features individuals with deeply traumatic personal histories from the Holocaust.
- Hedi Argent, who lost 27 members of her immediate and extended family.
- Simon Winston, who was held in a ghetto before escaping in 1942 and spending the rest of the war in hiding.
- Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was deported 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.
Increasing Allegations
This action comes after the dismissal of similar testimony by more than two dozen or more alumni and teachers as "made-up twaddle" by a high-ranking official.
After the story broke, additional former pupils have shared their stories. 28 ex-students and educators now assert they witnessed bigoted conduct by him.
One notable testimony comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish award-winning director, who said that a teenage Farage would sidle up to him and repeat the phrases "Hitler had the correct idea" and "gas them", at times adding a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas chambers.
A Broader Pattern
More individuals from diverse backgrounds have additionally shared experiences with allegations of personal harassment.
- Cyrus Oshidar stated he was referred to as a "Paki" and has rejected the claim that such actions were devoid of malice.
- Another student of Asian heritage characterised him as an "blatant racist" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell had a point" as a form of "racial bullying".
The Ultimate Question
The missive from survivors puts forth an ultimate challenge to Farage: "Should you continue to deny saying those words, is your position that dozens of individuals are lying? If you did say them, now is the opportunity to acknowledge you were wrong and make amends."
"People who seek to govern our country should not ever divide people by ethnicity or faith. Hatred of Jews must never become acceptable. This moment is about ethical duty. The decision is yours, Mr Farage."
