Nigel Farage’s response to allegations of teenage racism during his time at Dulwich college have ranged from vehement at times and rather more nuanced at others.Here is what he has said.After Channel 4 reporter Michael Crick revealed a June 1981 letter written by a teacher about Farage during his time in Dulwich referring to him as “racist” and “fascist” or “neo-fascist”, Crick tracked down Farage.Farage said: “Of course I said some ridiculous things that upset them.” Crick asked him if these were “racist things”.

Farage replied: “Not necessarily racist things.It depends how you define it.”Crick pressed Farage on the letter’s accusation that he had taunted someone in class and was excluded, suggesting the taunts had been on racial grounds.Farage said: “I was excluded from class dozens of times all over the years.” He said he did not accept this was for racist comments.

The Independent published an anonymous letter by a former school friend of Farage.The letter writer, who later revealed himself as Jean-Pierre Lihou, wrote of vividly recalling Farage’s interest in his initials, NF, and the symbol of the National Front.He said he recalled Farage singing “Gas ’em all”, shouting “Send ’em home”, and talking about Oswald Mosley.Farage did not respond directly to the claims.He said: “To say that this is going over old ground is an understatement.

The period during which I was at Dulwich was highly politically charged with the rise of Thatcherism to the Brixton riots just down the road.“There were many people of that time who were attracted to extreme groups on both sides of the debate.”He added: “Whoever sent you this must be a little out of touch to say that I supported Oswald Mosley as he believed in a United States of Europe.Some people need to get over Brexit.”Crick returned to the subject of Farage with a biography, One Party After Another (disclosure: Henry Dyer acted as a researcher for the book).

Crick had new details on the subject of Farage’s school days, with contemporaries making allegations of racist and antisemitic language and abuse.Others said they had never heard him saying anything racist or insulting.Farage told Crick in an email: “Let’s get one thing straight.I joined the Conservative party in 1978, and thought all of the far right parties/movements to be ludicrous/barmy/dangerous.There were some hard left class-of-1968 masters [who] joined the College and several of us thoroughly enjoyed winding them up.

“Terms of abuse thrown around between fifteen-year-old boys were limitless; there were no boundaries.I think red-haired boys fared especially badly.”Adam Richardson, barrister for Reform UK, responded when the Guardian approached Farage to comment on the fresh claims that contemporaries had made of racist and antisemitic language and abuse.The denial was emphatic.Richardson described the allegations as “wholly untrue”.

Richardson said: “The suggestion that Mr Farage ever engaged in, condoned, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is categorically denied.”Richardson responded again after the Guardian asked Farage to comment on the testimonies and concerns of contemporaries.Richardson said Farage “does not intend to respond to the frankly farcical recollections from 40 years ago since Mr Farage has become a political figure as they are simply not credible and conjecture.”He added: “However, should the Guardian publish any allegation suggesting that Mr Farage engaged in, condoned, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour, or that such claims bear upon his present character, you can expect proceedings to be issued forthwith.Those proceedings will seek an injunction, a public retraction, and the maximum award of damages permissible, including aggravated damages for malicious publication.

”The Guardian noted the change in Farage’s response compared with his 2013 and 2019 comments, and asked Richardson why Farage now claimed allegations relating to racism and antisemitism were “wholly untrue”.Richardson reiterated: “The allegations that Mr Farage engaged in racist or antisemitic behaviour are wholly untrue, defamatory, and malicious.”Pressed to comment, a spokesperson for Reform UK said: “These allegations are entirely without foundation.The Guardian has produced no contemporaneous record or corroborating evidence to support these disputed recollections from nearly 50 years ago.“It is no coincidence that this newspaper seeks to discredit Reform UK – a party that has led in over 150 consecutive opinion polls and whose leader bookmakers now have as the favourite to be the next prime minister.

“We fully expect these cynical attempts to smear Reform and mislead the public to intensify further as we move closer to the next election.”After a session of prime minister’s questions in which Keir Starmer called on Farage to explain himself in light of the Guardian’s reporting, Farage’s spokesperson was questioned by journalists.The spokesperson said: “Our statement was very clear that these allegations date back 45 years.And I think that at any point in time, when Nigel was leader of Ukip, when he stood in the 2010 general election, the 2015 general election, during Brexit, maybe in the 2019 general election, you would have to ask yourself, why didn’t this come up before?”Asked if Farage therefore believed those who made the allegations were inventing them, the spokesperson said: “I’m saying there is no primary evidence.It’s one person’s word against another.

”Twenty people have spoken to the Guardian to allege he has a racist past.In a broadcast interview, Farage’s response changed from the outright denials his representatives had given.Asked if he had racially abused fellow pupils at school, he replied: “No, this is 49 years ago by the way, 49 years ago.Have I ever tried to take it out on any individual on the basis of where they’re from? No.”The interviewer accused him of caveating his answer, and asked again if he categorically denied the claims.

“I would never, ever do it in a hurtful or insulting way,” Farage responded,“It’s 49 years ago,It’s 49 years ago,I had just entered my teens,Can I remember everything that happened at school? No, I can’t.

Have I ever been part of an extremist organisation or engaged in direct, unpleasant, personal abuse, genuine abuse, on that basis? No.”Challenged again about whether he had racially abused anyone, Farage responded: “No, not with intent.”When the interviewer told Farage that he did not understand what he meant by “not with intent”, the Reform leader responded: “You wouldn’t.”Farage added: “No.I have never directly, really tried to go and hurt anybody.

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