Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, is facing mounting pressure to apologise after the number of his former schoolmates alleging they witnessed or were victims of his racist and antisemitic behaviour has risen to thirty-four.
Fresh Allegations of Targeted Abuse
In exclusive accounts given to the Guardian, multiple contemporaries from Dulwich College, a private school in south-east London, have come forward with detailed claims. One of the latest is Jason Meredith, 58, who was three years below Farage. Meredith, of Anglo-Indian heritage, alleges Farage called him a "paki" and told him to "go back home".
Meredith, now a product manager in Switzerland, said he was motivated by Farage's denial of being racist. He recalled the slurs being used "certainly more than once" when he was around 15 or 16 years old.
Shifting Denials and 'Aggressive Banter' Defence
Farage's response to the allegations has evolved. Initially issuing outright denials through legal letters, he has since characterised the behaviour as "banter" that was not malicious. At a recent press conference, he went further, dismissing the claims as "complete made-up fantasies" by people with "political motivation".
He later told Times Radio that while he acknowledged "aggressive banter", specific claims—such as telling a schoolmate to "go back to Africa" or making gas hissing noises at a Jewish pupil—were "complete fantasy land".
Detailed Accounts of Antisemitic Behaviour
These characterisations are firmly rejected by former pupils. Adrian Woods, 62, a translator who was in the sixth form with Farage, witnessed the harassment of Peter Ettedgui, now a Bafta-winning film director.
Woods stated he saw Farage "harassing [Ettedgui] about being a Jew", describing it as "pretty obnoxious". He recalled Ettedgui once responding by launching into Shylock's "Hath not a Jew eyes?" monologue from The Merchant of Venice as a retort to the abuse.
Ettedgui confirmed the account, saying the antisemitic abuse in his first year left him "speechless" and that drama became a sanctuary. Another contemporary, Chris Kibble, 62, recalled Farage's use of the catchphrase "gas 'em all".
James Varcoe, 61, said Farage "happily would use epithets about race", including the "P word" and the "N word", and would sing songs about gassing Jews. Nick Cannon, a former peer, recalled writing to the headteacher to protest Farage's promotion to prefect after seeing younger boys upset by his taunts.
An Obsession and a Growing Backlash
Several contemporaries also spoke of Farage's fixation on the 1980 school roll, which contained more boys with the surname Patel than Smith. The Guardian verified the roll had 13 Patels and 12 Smiths. One account alleges he burned a copy of the roll.
The growing number of allegations has prompted action. Twenty-six school contemporaries signed an open letter calling for an apology, while a separate letter was signed by eleven Holocaust survivors. Farage has not responded publicly to either.
Reform's deputy leader, Richard Tice, has labelled those making claims as liars spreading "made up twaddle". Farage himself has claimed the scandal is "having zero effect" and may even be solidifying his core support.
Despite this, the chorus of voices from his past continues to grow, presenting a sustained challenge to his personal and political narrative.
