Ex equalities watchdog head ‘confused’ by Nigel Farage response to racism claims
The former head of the equalities watchdog has said she is “confused” by Nigel Farage’s response to allegations of racism during his teenage years.
The Reform UK leader has faced allegations he engaged in racist and antisemitic behaviour while he was a pupil at Dulwich College, a top private school in south London.
Speaking to Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, former Equality and Human Rights Commission chairwoman Baroness Kishwer Falkner said she was “confused and disturbed” by the allegations.
Describing the claims as “ghastly on paper”, Baroness Falkner said: “The one thing that slightly confuses me about him, and I hear his contextualisation of it all. Why can’t he just offer an unreserved apology for any distress caused?
“I just don’t get it. It seems to me that that would be the most genuine thing to say if he’s genuinely not a racist.”
Mr Farage has faced repeated questions over the allegations, which include claims that he told a Jewish pupil “Hitler was right” and “gas them”, and told a black pupil: “That’s the way back to Africa.”
The Clacton MP has denied the allegations, variously saying they were “categorically” untrue and at other times saying he “would never, ever do it in a hurtful or insulting way”.
In a press conference last week, he continued to deny he ever made racist remarks in a “malicious or nasty way” while accusing broadcasters reporting on the claims of “double standards”.
And he read out a letter from another former pupil saying Mr Farage was “neither aggressive nor racist”.
Reading from the letter, he said: “While there was plenty of macho tongue-in-cheek schoolboy banter, it was humour, and yes, sometimes it was offensive … but never with malice.
“I never heard him racially abuse anyone.”
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If Farij had a record in his public life of being pro people with a politics of kindness, goodness, conscience, social cohesion, social justice, unity and had demonstrated an awakening of sorts, an apology would be worthy, welcome and probably widely accepted. However, as the only change he has undergone is to become progressively worse, any apology would be a false one and grossly offensive with it rightly being shoved where the sun don’t shine.
fartage said Shamima Begum should be barred for what she did in the Uk at 15. Farage doesn’t think he needs to apologise for what he forgets he did but then remembers but didn’t mean to harm at 15. Jokes about gassing people. Then he protects pochin “It drives me mad when I see adverts full of black people, full of Asian people, full of people that basically are anything other than white” Farage cannot upset his base who like his stance, he cannot upset trump, he tried to paint the BBC as th culprit and denigrated a jewish reporter… Read more »
Very good point. I would be interested to hear from Garage himself but no doubt he will zootropolis type of asking a question himself when asked and then answering his own question. Which is simply bizarre. Or just do a Trump and attack the journalist or their broadcasting corporation. Which in this case seems to be the BBC.
Funny he went all out on the BBC that he has boycotted before but he likes the coverage it gives him so some excuse and he will be back like the nasty stain he is.
Listen out for his “let me say this” or similar, its his got to avoidance.
Meanwhile….
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/dec/06/target-of-racist-slurs-accuses-farage-of-emboldening-toxic-environment-online
Maybe we should hear from the current Equality and Human Rights Commission chair person and what they will do about this past despicable and horrible racist and antisemitic behaviour. Garage doesn’t deny doing it and neither has he condemned such nasty bullying behaviour.
See what happens when you give refuge to the persecuted?
A few generations later, they turn on others like themselves.
Baroness Falkner is an extraordinarily brave woman. She faced such appalling misogyny after quite sensibly supporting the Supreme Court’s clarification on women’s rights. Farage doesn’t stand a chance…