Holocaust Survivors Call On Nigel Farage to Make Amends Over Alleged Anti-Jewish Statements.
A collective of Shoah survivors has called for that Nigel Farage tell the truth and express remorse for alleged anti-Jewish abuse attributed to him toward Jewish students during his youth.
The political party leader has said he never insulted anyone with the aim to hurt, framing it may have been mere "playground banter".
"As Holocaust survivors, we grasp the grave risk of words of hatred – because we have seen where such words can lead," stated the survivors in a open letter.
"It is crucial to understand: lauding Hitler, jeering at gas chambers, or shouting racist insults is not banter. Not on a schoolyard. Not under any circumstances."
A Direct Question
The correspondence puts forth direct questions to the political figure: "Did you say ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ accompanied by mimicking gas chambers? Did you expose your fellow pupils to antisemitic abuse?"
The Signatories
The collective of eleven survivors features individuals with harrowing personal histories from the Holocaust.
- Hedi Argent, who saw the murder of 27 members of her family.
- Simon Winston, who was confined to a ghetto before escaping in 1942 and living through the rest of the war concealed.
- Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau and later transferred to Bergen-Belsen, where she was rescued.
Other signatories include Janine Webber, Edith Jayne, Helen Aronson, Ruth Barnett, John Fieldsend, Susan Pollack, Hanneke Dye and Agnes Kaposi.
Increasing Allegations
This action is a response to the dismissal of similar testimony by more than several dozen ex-schoolmates and teachers as "fabricated nonsense" by a high-ranking official.
Following the publication, further individuals from that era have spoken out. 28 ex-students and educators now state they saw racist or antisemitic behaviour by him.
One notable testimony comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish Bafta and Emmy-winning director, who said that a young Farage would come near him and utter the phrases "Hitler was correct" and "send them to the gas chambers", on occasion making a long hiss to simulate the sound of poison gas.
Additional Claims
More individuals from diverse backgrounds have additionally shared experiences with allegations of personal harassment.
- Cyrus Oshidar said he was referred to as a "Paki" and has dismissed the claim that such actions were without intent.
- Another individual with Asian roots described him as an "avowed bigot" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell was right" as a form of "racial bullying".
A Concluding Demand
The final appeal asks a concluding challenge to Farage: "If you deny saying those words, is your position that dozens of individuals are not telling the truth? Should the allegations be true, now is the moment to take responsibility and make amends."
"Those who seek to govern our country should not ever divide people by race or religion. Hatred of Jews must never become acceptable. This moment is about personal accountability. The choice is your own, Mr Farage."
