‘That’s very, very caveated. You’re not quite ruling this out.’
Nigel Farage finally responded to allegations of racist behaviour from his school days yesterday.
Last week, The Guardian reported that more than a dozen of Farage’s classmates from Dulwich College described a pattern of “deeply offensive” behaviour by him throughout his teenage years.
Asked by an ITV News journalist yesterday whether he had racially abused fellow pupils in the 1970s and 80s, the Reform leader said: “No. This was 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,” Farage added.
The journalist repeated the question: “At school, categorically, on the record, you did not racially abuse fellow pupils.”
In response, Farage claimed: “I would never ever do it in a hurtful or insulting way.”
The reporter pointed out: “That’s not quite the same as not doing it.”
The Clacton MP again repeated that the events in question were 49 years ago.
“What difference does the time make?,” the journalist asked.
Farage said he’d just entered his teens, and claimed that he couldn’t remember everything from his school days.
“Have I ever been part of an extremist organisation, or engaged in direct personal abuse, genuine abuse on that basis? No,” Farage added.
“That’s very, very caveated. You’re not quite ruling this out,” the journalist responded.
Farage was pressed again: “The question is did you ever racially abuse fellow pupils at school? You’ve caveated it with ‘a hurtful way’.”
“Not with intent,” Farage responded.
The journalist repeatedly questioned what Farage meant, he responded “you wouldn’t do”, followed by “No”.
However, he still failed to rule it out and gave another caveated response: “I have never directly really tried to go and hurt anybody.”
The interview took place at a Reform rally in Llandudno, Wales.
Not long after his interview, Farage appeared on the same stage as Laura Anne Jones, Reform’s only Senedd member.
Jones was suspended from the Senedd last week for making a racial slur.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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