UK Labour Party leader Keir Starmer has strongly urged Nigel Farage to extend an apology to his alleged school tormentors from the past. According to reports, Farage allegedly subjected classmates at Dulwich College to racial abuse during his teenage years.
Starmer expressed skepticism over Farage's recent claims that he had never deliberately engaged with racism as a 13-year-old. "What does it mean?" Starmer asked rhetorically. "Didn't engage in racism with intent." This response came after Farage denied any intention to cause harm due to people's racial or religious backgrounds.
Starmer also pointed out the significance of Farage remembering some incidents from his past, which he described as unsettling for a young Jewish student who was subjected to gas chamber similes. The Labour leader suggested that Farage should reach out and apologize to those affected, rather than trying to downplay their accounts.
Farage's stance on the matter appears to have shifted multiple times. Initially denying any involvement in racist behavior, he later changed his tone to saying he did not make certain statements about Jews being sent to gas chambers when he was 13 years old.
In fact, seven people have come forward claiming they recall being targeted by Farage during this period of his life. They also expressed support for Starmer's call for an apology from the former UKIP leader. The victims, including Peter Ettedgui, a renowned Emmy and Bafta-winning director, shared their experiences with racist abuse at school.
In response to Farage's denials, Ettedgui wrote in the Guardian: "Farage suggests that he has never 'directly' abused anyone, but we know that it did hurt. If he genuinely didn't intend to cause harm, how did he expect us to feel?" The Guardian cited sources who corroborated Ettedgui's account.
The Labour Party leader emphasized that this is not a matter of "one person's word against another" but rather the testimonies of multiple individuals who experienced similar abuse at school.
Starmer expressed skepticism over Farage's recent claims that he had never deliberately engaged with racism as a 13-year-old. "What does it mean?" Starmer asked rhetorically. "Didn't engage in racism with intent." This response came after Farage denied any intention to cause harm due to people's racial or religious backgrounds.
Starmer also pointed out the significance of Farage remembering some incidents from his past, which he described as unsettling for a young Jewish student who was subjected to gas chamber similes. The Labour leader suggested that Farage should reach out and apologize to those affected, rather than trying to downplay their accounts.
Farage's stance on the matter appears to have shifted multiple times. Initially denying any involvement in racist behavior, he later changed his tone to saying he did not make certain statements about Jews being sent to gas chambers when he was 13 years old.
In fact, seven people have come forward claiming they recall being targeted by Farage during this period of his life. They also expressed support for Starmer's call for an apology from the former UKIP leader. The victims, including Peter Ettedgui, a renowned Emmy and Bafta-winning director, shared their experiences with racist abuse at school.
In response to Farage's denials, Ettedgui wrote in the Guardian: "Farage suggests that he has never 'directly' abused anyone, but we know that it did hurt. If he genuinely didn't intend to cause harm, how did he expect us to feel?" The Guardian cited sources who corroborated Ettedgui's account.
The Labour Party leader emphasized that this is not a matter of "one person's word against another" but rather the testimonies of multiple individuals who experienced similar abuse at school.
. can't he just move on? 7 people have come forward with similar stories, which is pretty impressive, but still. Farage's changed his story like 3 times already. it's hard to know what to believe at this point 
. starmer's right that it's not about one person's word against another, but like, come on Nigel, own up to your mistakes? or don't? i mean, if he didn't do anything wrong, why's he getting all defensive? anyway, maybe it's good for him to reach out and apologize... but let's not make a big deal out of it either 
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his excuse about not intending to cause harm is pretty weak. And I love how Keir Starmer isn't afraid to call him out on this. It's about time someone held him accountable for his actions back in the day.
They're actually really hurtful and traumatic experiences that can have long-lasting effects.
First, he denies ever being racist as a kid, then he says he didn't mean to cause harm... it's like trying to rewrite history or something. And then he expects everyone to just forget about it and move on? 
No thanks. The Labour Party leader is right on this one - it's not about who you believe or what you think... it's about the impact that your words and actions have had on others.
. It's the least he can do after all these years of denying any wrongdoing.
this whole thing with nigel farage is just so messed up 
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. It's not about one person's word against another, it's about the collective testimonies of multiple individuals who experienced racism firsthand 
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. And let's be real, if he can't do that, then maybe he shouldn't be speaking out against racism in the first place 
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. If he's really saying he didn't deliberately engage with racism back in the day, then why should we believe him now? It's like he's trying to rewrite history 
. Starmer's on the right track, calling for an apology from Farage - it's time to take responsibility for his past actions 
That's not how it works, mate. He's gotta own up to his past mistakes and apologize for causing harm to others. The fact that seven people are coming forward with similar stories is proof that something went down, and Farage can't just erase it from history. Starmer's right to call him out on this - we need accountability for our leaders! 
It's not about "one person's word against another", it's about the collective voice of victims who know what they're talking about. Farage needs to grow up and take responsibility for his actions, or get out of the political game altogether. 
. Sources like the Guardian are doing their job, but we still need more concrete evidence to back it up 
Newsflash: being a teenager doesn't mean you're exempt from learning empathy and treating others with kindness 
. And if Farage is gonna claim that his past experiences have no bearing on who he is now, then I'm calling BS 
. It's not about one person's word against another; it's about listening to the voices that have been silenced for far too long 
. Let's get some closure on this and hold people like Farage accountable for their actions 
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It's like he's trying to cover something up. And what with all these people coming forward saying they were targeted by him, it's clear that he was involved in some way. But is Starmer really just trying to stir up controversy or is there more to this than a simple apology? 
I mean, think about it, if Farage was indeed bullied, why did he take so long to come forward? Was it to avoid looking bad? Or is there something else going on here... like maybe he's hiding some dark secret from his past? 
And what's with him constantly shifting his tone on the issue? It's like he's trying to gaslight us into thinking it didn't happen. 
