Holocaust Survivors Call On Nigel Farage to Make Amends Over Alleged Anti-Jewish Statements.
A coalition of Holocaust survivors has publicly demanded that Nigel Farage admit the facts and apologise for alleged antisemitic comments attributed to him toward Jewish students 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".
"As Shoah survivors, we grasp the grave risk of words of hatred – for we have witnessed where such words can lead," declared the survivors in a missive.
"It is crucial to understand: praising Hitler, mocking gas chambers, or directing racial slurs is not banter. Not in a playground. Not under any circumstances."
An Unequivocal Demand
The document poses direct questions to the public figure: "Are the claims accurate that you stated ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ accompanied by mimicking gas chambers? Did you subject your fellow pupils to bigoted harassment?"
Those Who Signed
The group of eleven survivors features individuals with devastating personal histories from the Nazi genocide.
- Hedi Argent, who lost 27 members of her immediate and extended family.
- Simon Winston, who was held in a ghetto before fleeing in 1942 and living through the rest of the war concealed.
- Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau and later transferred 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.
Growing Accounts
This intervention comes after the dismissal of related accounts by more than two dozen or more ex-schoolmates and teachers as "made-up twaddle" by a senior party figure.
After the story broke, more contemporaries have shared their stories. 28 people connected to the school now claim they witnessed bigoted conduct by him.
One notable testimony comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish-born Bafta and Emmy-winning director, who said that a young Farage would come near him and repeat the phrases "Hitler was correct" and "send them to the gas chambers", on occasion making a long hiss to mimic the sound of poison gas.
A Broader Pattern
Additional alumni from minority ethnic backgrounds have additionally shared experiences with allegations of personal harassment.
- Cyrus Oshidar stated he was branded a "racial slur" and has rejected the notion that such actions were without intent.
- Another individual with Asian roots portrayed him as an "avowed bigot" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell was correct" as a form of "ethnic harassment".
The Survivors' Final Appeal
The missive from survivors puts forth an ultimate dilemma to Farage: "By denying saying those words, is your position that scores of witnesses are lying? If the words were spoken, now is the moment to admit your error and apologise."
"Individuals who hope to lead our country should under no circumstances create division by background or belief. Anti-Jewish bigotry must always be confronted. This moment is about moral responsibility. The choice is your own, Mr Farage."