Nigel Farage, the firebrand British politician, former head of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and recent anti-Brexit crusader, is once again making headlines. Fresh accusations of racist behaviour have followed from his period working at Dulwich College in south-east London. Testimony from former classmates describes a pattern of deeply troubling behavior that is cause for serious alarm. These claims sour the favorable public perception of Farage as he rapidly gains political deepening roots.
Dulwich College, where Farage studied as a teenager. He continued to distinguish himself as a day boy, while many of his classmates such as Jean-Pierre Lihou were boarders. Recent testimonies from male classmates have emerged this week, recounting strange misogynistic behaviors Farage reportedly displayed while a student at the school. Many of these accounts feature hateful comments directed at Jewish students. For instance, when talking about Peter Ettedgui, who is Jewish, they threatened him by calling him the German translation of Jew, “Jude,” in a menacing manner.
In addition to these comments, Farage reportedly sang a disturbing version of George Formby’s song “Bless Them All,” with lyrics that included the lines:
“Gas em all, gas em all, into the chambers they crawl. We’ll gas all the Paks, and we’ll gas all the Yids, and we’ll gas all the coons and all their fucking kids.” – Jean-Pierre Lihou
That kind of behavior was noted by several of us who went through that era. Both Ettedgui and Lihou here. Farage’s love for mimicry and mockery among his buddies didn’t help soften the blow of his statements. His peers, who went on to become Bollywood’s Pioneer Movie Makers, termed him a maverick with the reputation of a scallywag in an army uniform. Unfortunately, these incidents have raised weighty and deep questions about what all this means for what he did when he was younger.
Peter Ettedgui remembered certain meetings that made a huge impact. He stated:
“He would sidle up to me and growl: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘Gas them’, sometimes adding a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas showers.” – Peter Ettedgui
These memories led to passionate debates over Farage’s character. Many are looking beyond the immediate catastrophe to how such remarks might shape his longer-term political ideology. Lihou criticized Farage’s dismissal of past allegations, asserting:
“Nigel Farage has said, oh, you know, ‘I said some outrageous things, but none of them racist’. That’s absolute rubbish. It just isn’t the case.” – Jean-Pierre Lihou
Farage has previously denied accusations of racism leveled against him in 2013. He admitted to having said “ridiculous things … not necessarily racist things … it depends on how you define it,” suggesting a lack of accountability for comments that could be interpreted as prejudiced.
As a prominent figure in British politics today, Farage’s past behaviors are under scrutiny as they raise concerns about whether he has enabled an environment where people feel emboldened to express openly racist sentiments. The resurfacing of these allegations prompts a critical examination of the impact of Farage’s words and actions during his formative years on his public image and political career.
Farage vehemently denies the charges and counters. He claims he’s never said any antisemitic or racist things in his day. His recent defensive denial of these allegations has not silenced the enforcers who were forced to endure his tyrannical behavior first-hand. Controversy has followed these claims as Farage has made his way through a political odyssey. As of today, he is leading in the polls and appears to be on course to assume tremendous influence over UK government policy.