Shoah Survivors Demand Nigel Farage to Apologise Over Claimed Anti-Jewish Remarks.
A collective of Shoah survivors has insisted that Nigel Farage admit the facts and issue an apology for alleged antisemitic taunts attributed to him toward Jewish students during his time at school.
The political party leader has previously stated he never targeted anyone with malicious intent, suggesting it may have been mere "schoolyard talk".
"Being Holocaust survivors, we grasp the deadly peril of words of hatred – because we have experienced firsthand where such words ultimately lead," stated the survivors in a missive.
"We must be unambiguous: lauding Hitler, jeering at gas chambers, or hurling racist abuse is not teasing. Not on a schoolyard. Not ever."
A Pointed Inquiry
The document puts forth direct questions to the political figure: "Is it true you said ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ while mimicking gas chambers? Did you subject your fellow pupils to anti-Jewish taunts?"
The Survivors
The group of eleven survivors includes individuals with harrowing personal experiences from the Nazi genocide.
- Hedi Argent, who saw the murder of 27 members of her family.
- Simon Winston, who was held in a ghetto before escaping in 1942 and living through the rest of the war in hiding.
- Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau and later transferred to Bergen-Belsen, where she was liberated.
The remaining survivors include Janine Webber, Edith Jayne, Helen Aronson, Ruth Barnett, John Fieldsend, Susan Pollack, Hanneke Dye and Agnes Kaposi.
Mounting Testimony
This action follows the dismissal of related testimony by more than several dozen alumni and teachers as "made-up twaddle" by a senior party figure.
Since the initial report, further individuals from that era have shared their stories. Nearly thirty ex-students and educators now state they observed prejudiced actions by him.
One well-known account comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish-born award-winning director, who has stated that a young Farage would approach him and utter the phrases "Hitler was right" and "send them to the gas chambers", on occasion adding a long hiss to simulate the sound of gas chambers.
A Broader Pattern
More individuals from diverse backgrounds have also spoken publicly with accounts of direct abuse.
- Cyrus Oshidar stated he was branded a "Paki" and has labelled as rubbish the idea that such actions were devoid of malice.
- Another individual with Asian roots portrayed him as an "blatant racist" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell was right" as a form of "racial bullying".
The Ultimate Question
The final appeal asks a concluding question to Farage: "By denying saying those words, are you claiming that scores of witnesses are lying? Should the allegations be true, now is the opportunity to take responsibility and say sorry."
"Individuals who seek to govern our country should under no circumstances create division by race or religion. Hatred of Jews must never be normalised. This moment is about moral responsibility. The choice is yours, Mr Farage."
