🔗 Share this article Shoah Survivors Call On Nigel Farage to Make Amends Over Reported Anti-Jewish Comments. A group of Holocaust survivors has insisted that Nigel Farage tell the truth and express remorse for reported antisemitic comments he is said to have made toward Jewish students during his youth. The Reform UK leader has claimed he never insulted anyone with deliberate cruelty, framing it may have been mere "childish teasing". "Being Shoah survivors, we grasp the deadly peril of hateful words – because we have seen where such words ultimately lead," wrote the survivors in a open letter. "We must be unambiguous: lauding Hitler, jeering at gas chambers, or directing racial slurs is not teasing. Not among children. Not anywhere." A Pointed Inquiry The document puts forth direct questions to the political 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?" The Signatories The group of 11 survivors contains individuals with devastating personal experiences from the Holocaust. Hedi Argent, who was bereaved of 27 members of her immediate and extended family. Simon Winston, who was imprisoned in a ghetto before escaping in 1942 and living through the rest of the war as a fugitive. Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau and later moved to Bergen-Belsen, where she was freed. Other signatories include Janine Webber, Edith Jayne, Helen Aronson, Ruth Barnett, John Fieldsend, Susan Pollack, Hanneke Dye and Agnes Kaposi. Mounting Testimony This intervention comes after the dismissal of corroborating allegations by more than several dozen former pupils and teachers as "complete fiction" by a high-ranking official. Following the publication, further individuals from that era have shared their stories. 28 ex-students and educators now claim they saw bigoted conduct by him. One prominent testimony comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish-born Bafta and Emmy-winning director, who recalls that a young Farage would sidle up to him and say the phrases "Hitler had the correct idea" and "gas them", sometimes adding a hiss to mimic the sound of gas chambers. Additional Claims More individuals from minority ethnic backgrounds have additionally come forward with allegations of targeted insults. Cyrus Oshidar said he was referred to as a "Paki" and has dismissed the idea that such actions were not meant to hurt. Another individual with Asian roots characterised him as an "open racist" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell was right" as a form of "racial bullying". A Concluding Demand The missive from survivors puts forth an ultimate challenge to Farage: "Should you continue to deny saying those words, are you claiming that dozens of individuals are fabricating their stories? If you did say them, now is the time to admit your error and make amends." "Individuals who aspire to lead our country should under no circumstances create division by ethnicity or faith. Anti-Jewish bigotry must never be normalised. This moment is about personal accountability. The decision is yours, Mr Farage."
A group of Holocaust survivors has insisted that Nigel Farage tell the truth and express remorse for reported antisemitic comments he is said to have made toward Jewish students during his youth. The Reform UK leader has claimed he never insulted anyone with deliberate cruelty, framing it may have been mere "childish teasing". "Being Shoah survivors, we grasp the deadly peril of hateful words – because we have seen where such words ultimately lead," wrote the survivors in a open letter. "We must be unambiguous: lauding Hitler, jeering at gas chambers, or directing racial slurs is not teasing. Not among children. Not anywhere." A Pointed Inquiry The document puts forth direct questions to the political 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?" The Signatories The group of 11 survivors contains individuals with devastating personal experiences from the Holocaust. Hedi Argent, who was bereaved of 27 members of her immediate and extended family. Simon Winston, who was imprisoned in a ghetto before escaping in 1942 and living through the rest of the war as a fugitive. Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau and later moved to Bergen-Belsen, where she was freed. Other signatories include Janine Webber, Edith Jayne, Helen Aronson, Ruth Barnett, John Fieldsend, Susan Pollack, Hanneke Dye and Agnes Kaposi. Mounting Testimony This intervention comes after the dismissal of corroborating allegations by more than several dozen former pupils and teachers as "complete fiction" by a high-ranking official. Following the publication, further individuals from that era have shared their stories. 28 ex-students and educators now claim they saw bigoted conduct by him. One prominent testimony comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish-born Bafta and Emmy-winning director, who recalls that a young Farage would sidle up to him and say the phrases "Hitler had the correct idea" and "gas them", sometimes adding a hiss to mimic the sound of gas chambers. Additional Claims More individuals from minority ethnic backgrounds have additionally come forward with allegations of targeted insults. Cyrus Oshidar said he was referred to as a "Paki" and has dismissed the idea that such actions were not meant to hurt. Another individual with Asian roots characterised him as an "open racist" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell was right" as a form of "racial bullying". A Concluding Demand The missive from survivors puts forth an ultimate challenge to Farage: "Should you continue to deny saying those words, are you claiming that dozens of individuals are fabricating their stories? If you did say them, now is the time to admit your error and make amends." "Individuals who aspire to lead our country should under no circumstances create division by ethnicity or faith. Anti-Jewish bigotry must never be normalised. This moment is about personal accountability. The decision is yours, Mr Farage."