Fresh Allegations Surface Against Reform UK Leader
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader who could become Britain's next prime minister, faces disturbing new claims about his behaviour during his school years at Dulwich College in south London. More than a dozen former classmates have come forward with accounts of racist and antisemitic incidents they say occurred throughout Farage's teenage years.
Bafta-Winning Director Breaks Silence
Peter Ettedgui, a 61-year-old Bafta and Emmy-winning director known for films including Kinky Boots and Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, has spoken publicly for the first time about his experiences with Farage. He describes how the Reform leader, then aged 13 or 14, would "sidle up to me and growl: 'Hitler was right,' or 'Gas them,'" sometimes adding a hissing sound to simulate gas showers.
Ettedgui, whose grandparents escaped Nazi Germany, told The Guardian: "I'd never experienced antisemitism growing up, so the first time that this vicious verbal abuse came out of Farage's mouth was deeply shocking." He added that he wasn't Farage's only target, recalling hearing him call other students racial slurs like 'Paki' or 'Wog' while telling them to 'go home'.
Multiple Accounts Emerge
The allegations extend beyond Ettedgui's experiences. Another former pupil from an ethnic minority background described being targeted by a 17-year-old Farage, who would approach him with two taller friends and ask where he was from before pointing away and saying: "That's the way back." The former student, who was much younger at the time, recalled the fear and anger the encounters provoked.
Tim France, 61, who was in the same year as Farage, claimed the future politician would "regularly" perform Nazi salutes and chant "Sieg heil" in the classroom. France also alleged that Farage referred to the smokers' bus on school trips as "the gas chamber" and led singing of offensive songs.
Controversial Prefect Appointment
The controversy extends to Farage's appointment as a prefect in 1981, despite objections from teaching staff. Bob Jope, a 74-year-old former teacher at the school, recalled a staff meeting where colleagues expressed anxiety about Farage becoming a prefect due to his attitude towards younger boys and those of other races.
English teacher Chloe Deakin wrote a letter opposing the appointment, describing Farage as having "publicly professed racist and neo-fascist views" and alleging that he and others had marched through a Sussex village shouting Hitler Youth songs during a Combined Cadet Force camp.
Farage's Response and Political Context
Farage has emphatically denied all allegations through legal letters to The Guardian, calling them "entirely without foundation" and questioning the public interest in revisiting events from over 40 years ago. A Reform UK spokesperson stated: "The Guardian has produced no contemporaneous record or corroborating evidence to support these disputed recollections from nearly 50 years ago."
However, the timing is significant as Farage's Reform UK leads in opinion polls and he positions himself as a potential future prime minister. Labour leader Keir Starmer recently made Farage the focus of his conference speech, accusing him of crossing a "moral line."
Some former classmates who've come forward say their motivation is concern about Farage's character and trustworthiness. As one former pupil put it: "Just look at the Nolan principles: integrity, honesty, selfless commitment. Nigel just doesn't have these qualities."
While not all contemporaries recall the same behaviour - some describing Farage as merely bumptious and provocative - the cumulative accounts from multiple sources paint a troubling picture that continues to follow the Reform leader as he seeks the highest office in British politics.
