Fresh Allegations Surface Against Reform UK Leader
Nigel Farage is confronting serious new allegations about his behaviour during his schooldays, with former classmates claiming he engaged in racist and antisemitic conduct while attending Dulwich College in south-east London.
Jean-Pierre Lihou, who described himself as a former friend of the Reform UK leader, has come forward with detailed accounts of what he witnessed during their time together at the prestigious independent school.
'Deeply Shocking' Schoolyard Behaviour
Lihou recalled that while Farage could be entertaining - 'a great mimic, and funny with it' - he soon discovered a darker side to his 14-year-old companion. Lihou, who is half-German, remembered Farage stomping around the playground chanting 'Oswald Mosley', the 1930s leader of the British Union of Fascists.
According to Lihou, the behaviour escalated significantly by their sixth form years. Farage allegedly made statements like 'Hitler was right' and 'gas em' while also singing a deeply offensive song based on George Formby's 'Bless Them All'.
The lyrics, which Lihou claims to remember verbatim, included: '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.'
Multiple Witnesses Corroborate Claims
The Guardian's investigation included testimony from more than a dozen contemporaries at Dulwich College who claimed to have witnessed or been victims of racist behaviour by Farage.
Among them was Bafta and Emmy award-winning director Peter Ettedgui, who said Farage 'would sidle up to me and growl: 'Hitler was right' or 'Gas them'', sometimes adding a hissing sound to simulate gas showers.
Lihou corroborated Ettedgui's account, explaining that Farage would address Ettedgui as 'Jude' - the German word for Jew - delivered with a menacing, drawn-out 'u' reminiscent of 1930s antisemitism.
Martin Rosell, another contemporary who now chairs the Liberal Democrats in Salisbury, confirmed witnessing Farage make comments to Ettedgui, including muttering 'Jew' under his breath.
Farage's Response and Political Context
Farage has consistently denied these allegations, describing them as 'entirely without foundation' and a 'smear'. However, in 2013 he admitted to saying 'ridiculous things' during his school years while disputing they were racist.
When Lihou wrote an anonymous open letter in 2019 referencing the Mosley chants and gas song, Farage responded by noting the politically charged atmosphere of the time, referencing 'the rise of Thatcherism to the Brixton riots just down the road'.
Lihou explained his decision to come forward publicly now, stating: 'I am talking today because I am worried. He's a charismatic guy... A bit like Boris Johnson, it's very easy to find him an amiable rogue.'
The former schoolfriend expressed concern that Farage is 'enabling people to be basically openly racist' and highlighted recent incidents involving Reform politicians using inflammatory language.
Not all former pupils and teachers recalled Farage making racist remarks, but the accumulating testimony from multiple sources presents a concerning picture of the Reform leader's formative years as he experiences unprecedented political success.
