Farage’s School Years Under Scrutiny: Former Classmates Detail Allegations of Racist Behavior
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A wave of accusations from former classmates is casting a harsh light on the teenage years of Nigel Farage, the prominent British politician currently leading in polls and potentially on a path to Downing Street. Testimonies allege a pattern of disturbing behavior, including the use of racist language and the espousal of extremist views while a student at Dulwich College in south-east London.
Early Impressions: A Charismatic, Yet Troubling, Youth
Initial accounts paint a picture of a complex young man. One former classmate, Jean-Pierre Lihou, recalled a seemingly innocuous beginning – a fun sleepover and a generous breakfast provided by Farage’s mother. However, Lihou’s recollections quickly turn darker, describing a shift in Farage’s character as he matured. “He was a great mimic, and funny with it,” Lihou stated, but added that a troubling side emerged over time.
Lihou, whose mother is German, noted that Farage fixated on the proximity of his birthday to that of Adolf Hitler, initially dismissing it as a curious coincidence. However, this seemingly harmless observation soon morphed into something more sinister. Lihou described Farage “stomping around the playground and chanting ‘Oswald Mosley’,” the leader of the 1930s British Union of Fascists, a figure Lihou didn’t fully understand at the time.
Disturbing Lyrics and Simulated Violence
The allegations escalate with claims of deeply offensive and disturbing behavior. Lihou recounted Farage composing and singing a song based on a George Formby tune, but filled with explicitly racist and violent lyrics. The song, remembered verbatim by Lihou, included lines such as “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.”
Further corroborating these claims, Bafta and Emmy award-winning director Peter Ettedgui described Farage sidling up to him and growling “Hitler was right” or “Gas them,” sometimes accompanied by a hissing sound meant to mimic gas showers. These accounts, reported on Tuesday by The Guardian based on testimony from over a dozen contemporaries, paint a disturbing picture of a young man seemingly fascinated by extremist ideologies.
Denials and Shifting Explanations
Farage has consistently dismissed these allegations as “entirely without foundation” and a “smear.” However, his past responses to similar claims have been less definitive. In 2013, he admitted to saying “ridiculous things… not necessarily racist things… it depends on how you define it.” When confronted with Lihou’s anonymous open letter to The Independent in 2019, referencing the Mosley chants and the “Gas em all” song, Farage attributed the period to a politically charged atmosphere marked by the rise of Thatcherism and the Brixton riots.
Lihou finds these denials disingenuous. He recalled Farage using the German word “Jude” – a derogatory term for Jew – when addressing Ettedgui, delivered in a menacing tone reminiscent of the 1930s. According to Lihou, Ettedgui initially responded with defiance but ultimately became withdrawn and subdued by the repeated harassment.
A Pattern of Behavior Confirmed by Multiple Sources
Lihou is not alone in his recollections. Martin Rosell, now chair of the Liberal Democrats in Salisbury, confirmed witnessing similar behavior. Rosell stated that Farage made under-the-breath comments directed at Ettedgui, including the use of the term “Jew” and references to “how they ‘missed you’,” alluding to victims of the Holocaust. Rosell emphasized that Farage’s behavior was noticeably more extreme than that of his peers and was widely known throughout the school.
Concerns About Enabling Racism
Lihou expressed deep concern about Farage’s current political success, fearing that his charisma allows him to downplay or excuse his past behavior. He likened Farage to Boris Johnson, describing both as “amiable rogues” who attract support through their perceived authenticity. Lihou believes Farage is “enabling people to be basically openly racist,” pointing to recent comments made by a Reform politician as evidence of a growing normalization of hateful rhetoric.
“He’s the personification of this,” Lihou concluded, expressing worry that Farage’s influence is contributing to a dangerous shift in public discourse.
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