Two former pupils of Dulwich College have come forward with detailed allegations of racist and antisemitic behaviour by Nigel Farage during their schooldays in the 1970s. The claims, reported by Sky News, include the Reform UK leader singing songs about Nazi gas chambers directed at Jewish classmates.
Shocking Allegations from School Friends
Jean-Pierre Lihou, 61, who was initially friends with Farage, told Sky News the politician's true nature soon became apparent. Lihou, who is half-German, described how Farage would sing a deeply offensive song to his Jewish friend, Peter Ettedgui. The lyrics allegedly began: "Gas them all, gas them out, gas them all, into the chambers they crawl."
Lihou stated he was particularly sensitive to such analogies due to his German heritage and recalled that the "humour wears off" when you see someone distressed. He further claimed Farage had a "big issue with anyone called Patel", commenting that the school at one point had "more Patels than Smiths", which seemed to irk him.
'Not a Kid' and 'Truly Ghastly' Behaviour
Another former pupil, Stefan Benarroch, who was in the year below Farage and is Jewish, strongly rejected any characterisation of the behaviour as childish banter. "He was not a kid," Benarroch asserted, noting Farage was 16 to 18 years old at the time, technically an adult. He described Farage's behaviour as "unacceptable in any era" and "truly ghastly".
Benarroch explained he and other Jewish boys were targeted after Friday prayers. "I was terrified of his bullies," he said, claiming Farage had "minions" who were "instructed to have a go at us". While he doesn't recall direct contact with Farage, he was a witness to the torment of others, particularly Peter Ettedgui, an experience he says "doesn't leave your body".
Political Fallout and Firm Denials
The allegations, which first surfaced during the Brexit campaign in 2013, have gained renewed momentum with The Guardian reporting that 28 former teachers and pupils have now come forward. This comes as Reform UK polls strongly ahead of a potential general election.
Farage has vehemently denied the claims. He stated he "never directly racially abused anybody" at Dulwich and suggested a "strong political element" to the allegations emerging nearly 50 years later. In a recent BBC interview, he read a letter from an unnamed Jewish schoolmate describing "plenty of macho, tongue-in-cheek schoolboy banter" that was sometimes offensive but "never with malice".
Reform UK's response has been aggressive. Deputy leader Richard Tice called the ex-classmates "liars", while a party spokesman accused Sky News of "scraping the barrel" in a "desperate" attempt to stop Reform winning the next election.
The story continues to develop, with Holocaust survivors, political opponents from Labour and the Liberal Democrats, and even some Conservatives calling on Farage to either admit and apologise or explicitly accuse his accusers of lying. The political jeopardy for Reform is whether these historic allegations will impact their surging voter support.
