Nigel Farage has been accused of “persistent” racial abuse by a school contemporary who rejects the Reform UK leader’s claims it was “banter”.
Peter Ettedgui, whose Jewish grandparents escaped Nazi Germany, has alleged Mr Farage growled “Hitler was right”, hissed “gas them” and told him “to the gas chambers” when the pair attended Dulwich College in the late 1970s.
He is among more than a dozen former pupils of the south London school who have accused Mr Farage of making antisemitic and racist remarks in claims originally reported in The Guardian.
The Reform UK leader appeared to leave open the possibility he may have made racist remarks without “intent” during his first interview since the claims were published, telling ITV on Monday: “I would never, ever do it in a hurtful or insulting way.” He also admitted to engaging in “banter in a playground”.
But in a prepared statement given on Tuesday, Mr Farage “categorically” denied he had ever made such comments and suggested the claims were politically motivated.
Mr Ettedgui, a Bafta-winning film director, has now told The Times it is “no surprise” that the Reform leader has denied the allegations.
He told the newspaper: “This is no surprise, he has been denying any kind of racist behaviour since 2013.
“Last week, a spokesman from Reform not only denied it but said The Guardian was trying to smear him, but maybe yesterday actually felt like a tiny step forward. At one point, he admitted to ‘probably misspeaking in my younger days when I was a child’, and then saying it was just banter.
“And there was this thing that it was the 1970s and a different era. Certainly I never experienced anything remotely similar to the kinds of things he said to me, either before or since.
“So, it wasn’t banter, banter was calling someone a y** – this was different, it was persistent. It was throughout the year that we shared a class, in class 3R, and we were seated in alphabetical order, 30-odd kids, I was right next to him.”
But Mr Farage has insisted he never “engaged in direct, unpleasant, personal abuse” during his time as a schoolboy at the top private school.
“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,” he said in his statement on Tuesday.
“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.
“We know that The Guardian wants to smear anybody who talks about the immigration issue. 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.”
Speaking to ITV on Monday night, the Reform leader was asked about claims of alleged incidents of deeply offensive behaviour throughout his teenage years.
“This is 49 years ago, by the way. Forty-nine years ago. Have I ever tried to take it out on any individual on the basis of where they’re from? No.”
Asked to categorically rule out that he had engaged in racial abuse, Mr Farage said: “I would never, ever do it in a hurtful or insulting way.”
As he continued to face questions about the allegations, he replied: “I had just entered my teens. Can I remember everything that happened at school? No, I can’t.
“Have I ever been part of an extremist organisation or engaged in direct, unpleasant, personal abuse, genuine abuse on that basis? No.”
When asked again if he engaged in racial abuse at the school, Mr Farage replied: “Not with intent.”
Asked to elaborate, he replied: “No, I have never directly, really tried to go and hurt anybody.”
Mr Farage added: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could interpret as being banter in a playground, that you can interpret in the modern light of day in some sort of way? Yes.”
Asked then if this meant he had abused people, Mr Farage replied: “I’ve never directly racially abused anybody. No.”
A spokesperson for Mr Farage told The Independent the Reform leader will not be commenting further.
