Rattled Reform chief Nigel Farage points new assertion on racism allegations
In a statement, the Reform UK leader and career politician claimed the “desperate establishment” were coming after him after he insisted
Rattled Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has tonight “categorically” denied allegations of racism at his top private school.
In a new statement, the MP and former Member of the European Parliament for two decades claimed he was the victim of a “desperate establishment” coming after him. The Reform leader said the claims from 49 years ago were “not true” – some 24 hours after he was grilled on the claims in a tense ITV interview.
It comes after former classmates from his time at Dulwich College, in south London, alleged that Mr Farage made pro-Hitler comments, joked about gas chambers, and put someone in detention for the colour of their skin. Speaking to the Guardian last week, award winning director and producer Peter Ettedgui, who was 13 at the time, alleged the Reform UK leader would tell him “Hitler was right”, or “Gas them” before adding a hiss to replicate the sound of the gas chambers.
Another former pupil, who was not named, described being in a youth organisation called the CCF, during which they claimed Farage had taught songs about gassing Jews. Mr Ettedgui also told the BBC on Tuesday evening that Mr Farage was being “fundamentally dishonest” by suggesting ex-pupils were not telling the truth.
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He said: “This is a man who has power, influence, has had a massive impact on the direction of this country, for which, you know, hats off to him. And he is being fundamentally dishonest in everything that he says there. So I feel upset and angry about that.”
In a statement tonight, Mr Farage said: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been published in the Guardian aged 13, nearly 50 years ago. Isn’t it interesting: I am probably the most scrutinised figure in British politics, having been in public life for 32 years.
“Several books and thousands of stories have been written about me, but it is only now that my party is leading in the polls that these allegations come out. I will leave the public to draw their own conclusions about why that might be.”
He went on claiming he is a victim of a “smear”, adding: “But the truth is that I have done more in my career to defeat extremism and far-right politics than anybody else in the UK, from my time fighting the BNP right up to today. Many of those making these statements just happen to be political opponents.
“One, for example, is the current chair of the Salisbury Lib Dems. This is not the first time the desperate establishment has come after me, and it will not be the last. So again: I can categorically say that the stories being told about me from 50 years ago are not true.”
There was no suggestion that Mr Farage as the adult holds the same views ascribed to him by others as a child, and other students have no recollection of the remarks or behaviour suggested by Mr Ettedgui.
In a statement when the allegations were published, a Reform spokesperson said: “These allegations are entirely without foundation. The Guardian has produced no contemporaneous record or corroborating evidence to support these disputed recollections from nearly 50 years ago.
“It is no coincidence that this newspaper seeks to discredit Reform UK — a party that has led in over 150 consecutive opinion polls and whose leader bookmakers now have as the favourite to be the next Prime Minister. We fully expect these cynical attempts to smear Reform and mislead the public to intensify further as we move closer to the next election.”
