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Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, has criticized the BBC for what he calls “double standards” following questions about racist and antisemitic remarks he allegedly made during his teenage years. Earlier, the party’s deputy leader Richard Tice dismissed such allegations as “made-up twaddle” during an interview with the BBC. Farage himself condemned the BBC’s handling of the issue on the Today programme, labeling the interview a “disgrace” and demanding an apology for certain 1970s TV programmes he considers homophobic and racist, including “It Ain’t Half Hot Mum” and “The Black and White Minstrel Show.” The BBC has been approached for comment.
The allegations emerged when Peter Ettedgui, a former Jewish classmate of Farage at Dulwich College in the 1970s and early 1980s, told the BBC that Farage repeatedly made remarks such as “Hitler was right” and “gas them.” Two other former pupils corroborated Ettedgui’s statements. Farage has previously responded by suggesting his comments were youthful “banter” that might be viewed differently today, asserting, “I’ve never directly racially abused anybody. No.”
At a press conference, Farage was questioned again about the accusations and whether he believed those making the claims were truthful. He strongly criticized the BBC’s Today programme interview with Tice, describing it as “disgraceful” to associate him with Adolf Hitler in such a manner. He also accused the BBC of hypocrisy, highlighting that during the time of the alleged comments, popular BBC programmes like “The Black and White Minstrel Show” featured blackface performances, and “It Ain’t Half Hot Mum” included similar content. Farage demanded an apology from the BBC for its mainstream content of the 1970s and 80s, calling the broadcaster’s standards “double.” He additionally criticized ITV, referring to it as “the channel of Bernard Manning,” a comedian known for racially charged jokes.
During the same press conference, Farage shared letters he had received from former schoolmates, including one from a Jewish peer. In the letter, the writer acknowledged that while there was a lot of “macho tongue-in-cheek schoolboy banter” that could sometimes be offensive, it was never done with malice. The letter stated that no direct racial abuse from Farage was witnessed at school and pointed out that any such behavior would have been reported and punished. It also remarked on how cultural attitudes at Dulwich during the 1970s were markedly different. Meanwhile, Peter Ettedgui has responded to Tice’s dismissal of the claims by emphasizing that over two dozen former pupils have independently attested to Farage’s alleged racist and antisemitic behavior, with statements verified by journalists and lawyers. A Conservative Party spokesman criticized Farage’s press conference as a chaotic attempt to deflect from admitted historic allegations
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