Badenoch Challenges Farage Over Alleged Schoolboy Racism and Antisemitism
A growing controversy surrounding alleged racist and antisemitic remarks made by Nigel Farage during his school years has prompted a direct challenge from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who questioned why teh Reform UK leader has not offered an apology. badenoch’s comments represent her strongest yet on the issue, emphasizing the meaning of accusations from over 20 former schoolmates.
Badenoch stated that Farage’s refusal to acknowledge any wrongdoing or express remorse was particularly striking, noting it would have been her immediate response as a politician. She suggested his stance indicated a lack of concern for past harm inflicted.
the allegations stem from accounts shared with The Guardian by 28 of Farage’s contemporaries from Dulwich College. These accounts detail instances of alleged racist and antisemitic behavior during his teenage years. one individual, identified as Peter Ettedgui, 61, and jewish, claimed Farage repeatedly told him “Hitler was right” and “gas them.” On Friday, Yinka Bankole publicly stated that a then 17-year-old Farage told him “that’s the way back to Africa” when bankole was new to the school.
While Badenoch affirmed that Farage had “never said anything racist to me,” she acknowledged the sheer volume of reported incidents at Dulwich College made his lack of apology “a bit strange.”
Speaking to TalkTV, Badenoch urged Farage to offer a simple apology. “If he just said: ‘you know, I was a kid, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. It was wrong. People shouldn’t speak like that,’ this would all have gone away,” she said. “And that’s the problem. It’s not that he’s racist, that he doesn’t care. And actually, I think as a serious politician, if you want to run the country, you should care about how the words you say impact people.”
Pro tip:– Badenoch underscored the number of individuals coming forward. “Interesting is it’s not one or two people. They’ve got like 20. They’ve got 20 people. So it’s a lot of people,” she said. She further noted that Farage did not deny the allegations, only stating he hadn’t intended to cause harm. “Nigel’s a big boy. He should just stand up, put on his big boy pants, and just say: ‘Do you know what? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.’ the fact that he doesn’t want to do that is a bit strange to me. That’s what I would have done.”
Farage and his representatives have questioned the accuracy of recollections after so many years and suggested a politically motivated campaign against him. He has consistently denied making malicious comments. During a press conference last Thursday, Farage reacted with anger to questions about the allegations, admitting he may have made offensive remarks but insisting they were “never with malice.” A legal representative for Reform UK previously “categorically denied” that Farage had “ever engaged in, condoned or led racist or antisemitic behaviour” following initial inquiries from The Guardian.
Bankole, who was targeted shortly after beginning at Dulwich College, explained he decided to speak out after watching Farage’s press conference. He described being repeatedly subjected to abuse by the teenage Farage, who “would wait at the lower-school gate, where I was dropped off for school, so as to repeat the vulgarity.”
Reform UK were approached for comment regarding Badenoch’s remarks but have not yet issued a response. The controversy continues to escalate as the UK heads towards a general election, raising questions about the standards expected of political leaders and the importance of acknowledging past actions.
