Nigel Farage made ‘non-apology’, says school contemporary who accused him of racism
Nigel Farage has been accused of making a “non-apology” by a school contemporary who accused him of racist and antisemitic behaviour, after saying he was “sorry” if he had “genuinely” hurt anyone.For the first time since the row broke after a Guardian investigation, the Reform UK party leader appeared to indicate some remorse for the impact of his alleged behaviour while at Dulwich college, a private school in south London.“I think there are two people who said they were hurt, and if they genuinely were, then that’s a pity, and I’m sorry,” Farage said in an interview with the BBC.“But never, ever did I intend to hurt anybody.Never have.
”The comments were made in an interview with the presenter Laura Kuenssberg for a documentary about the rise of his party, which is leading in the opinion polls.In a series of stories in recent months, the Guardian has reported the testimonies of 34 school contemporaries who say they witnessed or were subject to Farage’s alleged racist or antisemitic behaviour.Five of those said they were personally subject to abuse.Among the alleged victims was the Emmy and Bafta-winning film-maker Peter Ettedgui, who alleged that Farage would regularly taunt him with antisemitic comments, including that “Hitler was right”.In response to Farage’s latest comments, Ettedgui said the Reform leader needed to explain why his initial response had been to outright deny the detailed claims of a large cohort of people.
He said: “Thirty-four people have given our first-hand accounts of Nigel Farage’s abusive behaviour at Dulwich college, including students who either suffered or witnessed it, as well as teachers.“Every single one of us vividly recalls Farage’s racist, xenophobic and antisemitic bullying, as well as his vocal admiration for fascist leaders from Hitler to Mosley.“This profoundly offensive conduct continued unabated throughout his teenage years until we left school at 18, and it went far beyond what was considered normal or acceptable – even in the 1970s.“Farage’s ‘non-apology’ today at least differs from previous lamentable attempts to excuse his racist insults as ‘banter’, or to smear those of us who have spoken up as liars or fantasists.”Ettedgui said “urgent questions” remained given that Farage was seeking to be prime minister.
He said: “Why has he continually denied the repugnant behaviour so many of his schoolmates recall, rather than acknowledging and apologising sincerely for it?”Ettedgui also questioned to “what extent has his political agenda today been shaped by the racist views he expressed so vociferously at Dulwich?”Farage had initially threatened legal action against the Guardian and denied any racist or antisemitic conduct.He later suggested that his behaviour would have been seen as “banter” four decades ago but might be seen differently today.In his interview with Kuenssberg, Farage maintained that his behaviour would not have been out of place in 1970s Britain.He said: “I tell you what, if teenage boys together at an all-boys school haven’t said things to each other, haven’t been brutal in some ways in the late 1970s, I’d be very, very surprised.“Also I’ve had lots and lots of supportive texts, including from two Jewish students in my A-level set.
There were all sorts of things going on amongst teenage kids in a boys’ environment,Was there ever anything intentional or with the intent to wound or hurt? Genuinely? No, absolutely not,”The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know,If you have something to share on this subject, you can contact us confidentially using the following methods:The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories,Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs.
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US agency investigates Nike for alleged discrimination against white workers
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has launched an investigation into Nike over allegations that the sports giant discriminated against white employees and job applicants.The federal agency is demanding that Nike turn over information related to the allegations, including the company’s “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion-related 2025 Targets and other DEI-related objectives”, it announced on Wednesday.Nike, which described the escalation as “surprising and unusual”, insisted that it adheres to “all applicable laws” on discrimination. It comes amid a broader crackdown by Donald Trump’s administration on diversity initiatives, which he has repeatedly decried as “radical”.“When there are compelling indications, including corporate admissions in extensive public materials, that an employer’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion-related programs may violate federal prohibitions against race discrimination or other forms of unlawful discrimination, the EEOC will take all necessary steps – including subpoena enforcement actions – to ensure the opportunity to fully and comprehensively investigate,” said EEOC chair, Andrea Lucas
GSK, take two: the bullish tone at the top is finally more convincing | Nils Pratley
It’s a miracle. A mere 25 years after Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham merged to form GSK, the share price on Wednesday got back to where the combo started life – a shade over £20. It has been a very long wait.A quarter of a century ago, the bosses of the day spoke about creating a “Microsoft of the pharmaceutical world” that would develop new medicines in never-seen-before quantities at faster speeds. A vast new head office in west London was opened by Tony Blair in 2002 to mirror the ambition
Google parent earnings beat projections amid plans to invest deeply in AI
Google’s parent company, Alphabet, beat Wall Street expectations on Wednesday, and is planning a sharp increase in capital spending in 2026 as it continues to invest deeply in AI infrastructure.Alphabet on Wednesday reported profit of $34.5bn in the recently ended quarter, as revenue from cloud computing soared 48%.The company also forecast spending between $175bn and $185bn this year, a figure much higher than analysts’ expectations of roughly $115bn.In an earnings call, investors pressed Alphabet’s chief executive, Sundar Pichai, on the significant increase
Condemnation of Elon Musk’s AI chatbot reached ‘tipping point’ after French raid, Australia’s eSafety chief says
The eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, says global regulatory focus on Elon Musk’s X has reached a “tipping point” after a raid of the company’s offices in France this week.The raid on Tuesday was part of an investigation that included alleged offences of complicity in the possession and organised distribution of child abuse images, violation of image rights through sexualised deepfakes, and denial of crimes against humanity.A number of other countries – including the UK and Australia – and the EU have launched investigations in the past few weeks into X after its AI chatbot, Grok, was used to mass-produce sexualised images of women and children in response to user requests.Inman Grant told Guardian Australia: “It’s nice to no longer be a soloist, and be part of a choir.“We’ve been having so many productive discussions with other regulators around the globe and researchers that are doing important work in this space,” she said
Welcome to new cold war as world descends on Italy amid global political chaos | Sean Ingle
A short stroll from where the grandees of the International Olympic Committee are staying in Milan sits the Museum of Illusions – a place devoted to magic and misdirection. Mirrors distort. Perspectives shift. And nothing is quite what it seems. It is an apposite metaphor for these Winter Olympics, which officially open in Italy on Friday
Dupont’s France return can rock Ireland’s unstable foundations in Six Nations opener
The Six Nations is kicking off on a Thursday this year to avoid a direct clash with the Winter Olympics opening ceremony. In at least one key respect, even so, the two events are perfectly aligned: one early stumble for France or Ireland and a potentially painful descent awaits.Despite the possibility of first‑night nerves and some Parisian drizzle it should still make for more intriguing viewing on ITV1 than the alternative of Dragons’ Den and The Apprentice on BBC One. Unless, of course, France are so far out of sight inside 40 minutes that they cannot be caught and the audience are free to switch over in good time to watch Sir Alan Sugar say: “You’re fired!”That was pretty much Wales’s fate at this stage 12 months ago. By half-time in the 2025 tournament’s opening fixture, France were 28-0 ahead and cruising
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