Nigel Farage told to apologise by 26 of his school contemporaries

Nigel Farage has been told to apologise for his alleged teenage racism by 26 school contemporaries who have written an open letter telling of their “dismay and anger” at his response in recent weeks.

In a united challenge to the Reform UK leader, the alleged victims and witnesses condemn him for what they describe as his refusal to acknowledge his behaviour at Dulwich college.

They also criticise him for saying their allegations about his past behaviour are politically motivated.

“The accusation … is false,” the letter states.

They call for Farage, who has denied “directly” targeting anyone with racist or antisemitic abuse or having “intent” to hurt anyone, to publicly recognise the events described.

They write: “While we agree that no one should be judged in later life on the basis of what they have said or done in their youth, those seeking high office need to own their past and demonstrate honesty.

“Your denials have caused dismay and anger, and compelled us to come forward.

“None of us has taken lightly the decision to speak up. It has been deeply troubling to revisit our memories, let alone to share them with journalists and the broader public.

“However, what disturbs us is less what happened years ago, hurtful as it was, but rather your refusal to acknowledge your past behaviour or apologise for it.”

In the letter, they call on Farage “to make it clear you have renounced the racist, antisemitic and fascist views” that they claim he expressed at Dulwich.

In response, a Reform spokesperson said: “These latest attacks are a naked attempt to discredit Reform and Nigel Farage.

“Instead of debating Reform on the substance of our ideas and policies, the leftwing media and deeply unpopular Labour party are now using 50-year-old smears in a last act of desperation. The British public see right through this witch-hunt.”

Among those who made claims in a Guardian investigation published on 18 November were Peter Ettedgui, a Bafta- and Emmy-winning director, who is Jewish.

He alleged that a teenage Farage would sidle up to him and say “Hitler was right” and “gas them”, sometimes adding a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas chambers.

Other witnesses claimed Farage was persistently racist and antisemitic from the age of 13 to 18 while attending the private school in south-east London.

Further school contemporaries have since come forward, with more than 30 now having spoken to the Guardian about their recollections of alleged racism or antisemitism by Farage.

Yinka Bankole, whose parents came to the UK from Nigeria in the 1950s, has claimed that Farage, then about 17, had on at least three occasions told him as a nine- and 10-year-old to go back.

Others have claimed that Farage would sing songs about gassing minority ethnic people, chant the name of the British fascist leader Oswald Mosley and express his dismay at the number of Patels in the school.

One claimed Farage burned a copy of the school roll in 1980 when there were more Patels than Smiths. The signatories to the open letter write that the attempt to deny or dismiss their detailed testimony had only fuelled their determination to tell their stories.

They write: “We have recalled the verbal abuse you regularly directed at a number of pupils of Jewish, Black and Asian heritage; as well as loudly and proudly proclaiming your high regard for fascist leaders and organisations, from Hitler to Mosley, from the Nazis to the National Front.

“However, your response to our testimony has been in some respects more serious than the original offences.

“You continue to deny responsibility for the many incidents we have described and refuse to show contrition.

“As a result, we feel compelled to write this collective response to the various denials that you and members of your Reform party have issued.”

Farage has accused those who have come forward with allegations of being politically motivated and questioned how they were able to recall the details over four decades on.

A number of school contemporaries to whom the Guardian has spoken do not recall racist or antisemitic behaviour by Farage.

The Reform leader recently read out a letter from a former pupil, who is Jewish, who said that while Farage was offensive, he was not racist.

The school contemporaries write that the dismissal of their memories was to misunderstand the “exceptional” nature of Farage’s behaviour to them and the hurt they claim it inflicted.

They write: “You have questioned the reliability of memory: ‘Can I remember everything that happened at school? No, I can’t.’ Perhaps. But abusive and hurtful memories stick, and we have never forgotten.

“Each of us has separately given similar and consistent accounts of you at Dulwich. These memories paint a vivid and undeniable picture of you.”

The group adds: “The accusation that we are politically motivated is false. We represent a broad swathe of professional backgrounds and political opinions. Most of us have had no contact since we left Dulwich. Until writing this letter, we have not acted as a group. We have neither plotted nor conspired.”

The signatories to the letter also challenge the claim that they have only spoken out now because Reform is leading in the national polls.

They write: “This is not true. You must know this is not the first time a number of us have contributed individually to accounts of you at Dulwich.

“Examples include a 2013 Channel 4 News bulletin; a 2016 report in El País titled ‘Hitler was Right’; an open letter published in the Independent in 2019; and a 2022 biography of you by Michael Crick.”

The letter in full

London, 16 December 2025

Dear Nigel Farage,

We are 26 of the former students (and teaching staff) at Dulwich College who have recently shared our memories of your racist and antisemitic behaviour at school from 1975 to 1982.

We have recalled the verbal abuse you regularly directed at a number of pupils of Jewish, Black and Asian heritage; as well as loudly and proudly proclaiming your high regard for Fascist leaders and organisations, from Hitler to Mosley, from the Nazis to the National Front.

However, your response to our testimony has been in some respects more serious than the original offences. You continue to deny responsibility for the many incidents we have described and refuse to show contrition. As a result, we feel compelled to write this collective response to the various denials that you and members of your Reform party have issued.

“Have I ever … engaged in direct, unpleasant, personal abuse, genuine abuse? No.” you stated after the first reports featuring our testimony were published. Your deputy, Richard Tice, was even less nuanced when he claimed our testimony was “made up twaddle”.

However, the fact remains that the 28 former pupils who have shared their memories truthfully were either personally on the receiving end of your abusive behaviour, or personally witnessed it.

You have questioned the reliability of memory: “Can I remember everything that happened at school? No, I can’t.” Perhaps. But abusive and hurtful memories stick, and we have never forgotten. Each of us has separately given similar and consistent accounts of you at Dulwich. These memories paint a vivid and undeniable picture of you.

Your spokesperson has characterised our testimony as a politically-motivated campaign orchestrated by The Guardian, “designed to smear Reform and mislead the public.” This challenges the truthfulness of the accounts we have shared (not just with The Guardian, but also with The Times, The Observer, The New Statesman, The i Paper, BBC News, ITV News, Sky News, LBC and Good Morning Britain).

However, journalists we have spoken to have been scrupulous in verifying our identities while also ensuring our individual memories are corroborated.

The accusation that we are politically motivated is false. We represent a broad swathe of professional backgrounds and political opinions. Most of us have had no contact since we left Dulwich. Until writing this letter, we have not acted as a group. We have neither plotted nor conspired.

All we have in common is that we either directly experienced or witnessed your racist and antisemitic behaviour. It has also been alleged that we have only come forward now that Reform is leading in the polls. This is not true.

You must know this is not the first time a number of us have contributed individually to accounts of you at Dulwich. Examples include a 2013 Channel Four News bulletin; a 2016 report in El Pais titled ‘Hitler was Right’; an open letter published in The Independent in 2019; and a 2022 biography of you by Michael Crick.

Seeking to minimise our testimony, you have characterised yourself as a child and your behaviour as “playground arguments or banter”. However, as our accounts attest, your racist and antisemitic verbal abuse continued unabated from the age of about 13 to about 18.

This is not the odd youthful indiscretion but a pattern of behaviour over several years until you reached adulthood. Nor was it limited to the playground. Our testimony places you in a wide variety of settings around Dulwich: waiting for your victims at the school gates or outside Jewish Assembly; in classrooms and dining areas; on school buses and during school trips.

The suggestion that this was all in the spirit of banter is misleading – banter is something that happens between friends. Likewise, your statements in which you have claimed: “I have never directly really tried to go and hurt anybody,” or that offensive things were uttered but “never with malice” are false. Your abuse was deliberately targeted at Jews and pupils of colour.

Many of us vividly recall the contempt and venom you directed at your victims.

You have implied that the kind of language we recall you saying was typical of the cultural climate of Britain at the time. There is some truth in this.

You cited Bernard Manning and the character of Alf Garnett as examples. However, these personalities did not make direct or personal remarks. They did not intimidate Jewish boys with references to perishing in gas chambers, as you did. They did not order a Black child of nine to ten years of age to go back to Africa, as you did. They did not chant vile racist ditties, as you did. Your behaviour was exceptional, even for those times.

While we agree that no-one should be judged in later life on the basis of what they have said or done in their youth, those seeking high office need to own their past and demonstrate honesty. Your denials have caused dismay and anger, and compelled us to come forward.

None of us has taken lightly the decision to speak up. It has been deeply troubling to revisit our memories, let alone to share them with journalists and the broader public. However, what disturbs us is less what happened years ago, hurtful as it was, but rather your refusal to acknowledge your past behaviour or apologise for it.

We call on you now to:

– recognise that these events happened;
– apologise for them;
– make it clear you have renounced the racist, antisemitic and fascist views you expressed at Dulwich.

Signed (in alphabetical order, by first name)

Dr Andrew Field (1976-84)
Bill Wood (1976-84)
Chris Jacob (1977-82)
David Edmonds (1973-82)
Graham Noble (1974-82)
Jean-Pierre Lihou (1977-82)
Jez Nelson (1975-80)
Luke Gray (1977-81)
Mark Bridges (1974-82)
Mark Haward (1976-82)
Christopher Kibble (1975-82)
Martin Rosell (1977-80)
Nick Cannon (1973-82)
Nick Gordon Brown (1975-82)
Peter Ettedgui (1977-82)
Rickard Berg (1976-82)
Richard Flowers (1975-82)
Stefan Benarroch (1979-83)
Tim France (1973-82)
Yinka Bankole (1980-81)
Former Pupil (1975-82)
Former Pupil (1977-82)
Former Pupil (1977-83)
Former Asian Pupil (1977-85)
Former Pupil (1979-84)
Former Teacher (1979-85)