UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Former EHRC chair Kishwer Falkner calls on Reform UK leader Nigel Farage to apologise over school-time allegations of racism and antisemitism.
As reported by The Guardian, the outgoing head of the government’s equalities watchdog has called on Nigel Farage to issue an unreserved apology to those accusing him of racist or antisemitic behaviour during his school years.
A total of 28 of Mr Farage’s former classmates at Dulwich College said they either witnessed or were subjected to racist or antisemitic behaviour during his teenage years.
How did former classmates describe Nigel Farage’s school remarks?
One of Nigel Farage’s former classmates, Jean-Pierre Lihou, accused him of chanting “Oswald Mosley” and singing racist songs, saying the politician is “enabling people to be basically openly racist.”
Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish former classmate of Mr Farage, said the politician repeatedly told him “Hitler was right” and shouted “Gas them,” sometimes adding a hiss to mimic gas chambers.
Yinka Bankole, another ex-classmate, said a 17-year-old Mr Farage once told him, “That’s the way back to Africa,” when he was new to the school.
Martin Rosell, who was in Mr Farage’s year at Dulwich College, said the Reform leader made antisemitic comments to Peter Ettedgui, including under-the-breath comments like “Jew,” and was noticeably more aggressive than other students.
What did Kishwer Falkner say about Nigel Farage’s school allegations?
Kishwer Falkner, a crossbench peer and outgoing head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said the Reform UK leader could still offer an apology to those who say they were deeply hurt, even if he denies the racism allegations.
During an interview, when asked about Nigel Farage’s remarks, she described herself as “quite confused and disturbed.”
Ms Falkner stated,
“You have a situation where, when you read these allegations in terms of what is attributed to him, it looks utterly ghastly on paper. And then you try and contextualise it, and you think, this is perhaps 50 years ago – you know, young people say all sorts of things at school.”
She added that one aspect of the situation she could not understand,
“The one thing that sadly confuses me about him, even after hearing his contextualisation, is why he can’t just offer an unreserved apology for any distress caused.”
The former ECHR head said,
“I just don’t get it. It seems to me that that would be the most genuine thing to say, if he is genuinely not a racist.”
What did the opposition parties say about racism claims against Nigel Farage?
Last month, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described Nigel Farage’s response to allegations of racism in his youth as “unconvincing to say the least” and called on the Reform UK leader to apologise to anyone affected.
The Prime Minister said,
“The more we see of Reform, the more we see their true colours, in this case making people £170 worse off. But their true colours also in relation to the Member for Clacton (Mr Farage). His explanation in recent days, in relation to the stories about what he may have said in the past, is unconvincing to say the least.”
Mr Starmer stated,
“He says he never engaged with racism ‘with intent.’ ‘With intent,’ what does that mean? Didn’t engage with racism ‘with intent.’ I have no doubt that if a young Jewish student was hissed at to mimic the sound of a gas chamber, they would find it upsetting.”
The Labour leader added,
“He may want to forget that. They won’t. He clearly remembers some of what happened. He should seek those people out and go and apologise to them.”
On Sunday, the shadow work and pensions secretary spokesperson, Helen Whately, said Nigel Farage should be transparent about what happened.
She added,
“I think first and foremost that Nigel Farage should be straight with the public on this question. There are some very serious accusations about things that he has said and done about the question of racism. And he needs to give people a straight answer.”
How did Nigel Farage respond to racism allegations from former classmates?
Nigel Farage and his spokespersons have argued that the allegations stem from faulty memories over time or political motives, and they rejected claims that he made any harmful comments.
Earlier this week, during a press conference, the Reform UK leader responded angrily when asked about the allegations, accusing the BBC and ITV of hypocrisy over shows from the 1970s and 1980s that contained racist and homophobic content.
He told previous press conferences that he would apologise if he had caused any offence, adding that his remarks were “never intended with malice.”
What are the duties of the EHCR?
The Equality and Human Rights Commission is Great Britain’s national equality body and independent regulator. It was established by the Equality Act 2006 and began operating in October 2007.
The body is responsible for enforcing the Equality Act 2010 and protecting human rights. Its core duties are to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and protect and promote human rights.
The government’s watchdog has significant legal powers to take action against unlawful discrimination and harassment, including conducting inquiries, providing legal support in court cases, and issuing codes of practice and guidance for organizations.