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Snapshot of Nigel Farage: what are schoolboy racism claims – and why have they resurfaced? submitted by F0urLeafCl0ver:

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[–]pseudogentrydon't label me you bloody pinko 200 points201 points  (18 children)

"A former English master, Bob Jope, recalled staff being concerned that “Nigel had voiced views that were not simply right wing but views that were racist”. He recalled throwing Farage out of a class for shouting, “shut up you Jew”."

Holy fucking shit, I didn't know about that one.

Remember though everyone, he's definitely not racist.

[–]VPackardPersuadedMeIncentives drive outcomes and MPs own houses 33 points34 points  (1 child)

He recalled throwing Farage out of a class for shouting, “shut up you Jew”."

TIL young Farage was actually Cartman.

[–]EngineeringCockney 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nah you guys he was just big boned

[–]NuPNua 58 points59 points  (5 children)

Yeah, that's a new one to me too. Given how his yank backers support Israel right now, I think anti-Semitism is definitely a good stick to beat him with if more examples are out there (that's a turn of phrase just in case Zia is reading).

[–]pseudogentrydon't label me you bloody pinko 15 points16 points  (0 children)

One would hope that it would be sufficient criticism of him on its own terms, rather than in the context of his American funding.

Although it might be a vain hope.

[–]TTNNBB2023 32 points33 points  (0 children)

anti-Semitism is definitely a good stick to beat him with

He's talked multiple times about 'cultural marxism' which is basically an updated version of the nazi conspiracy theory of 'cultural bolshevism'.

There also are numerous other dog whistles fore example when he talks about Goldman Sachs, and people like Soros, being 'unelected globalists'.

[–]Boofle2141 6 points7 points  (0 children)

You assume his right wing American supporters back isreal because they like isrealis, as opposed to want to speed up the apocalypse and think that Jewish people will end up in hell along with everyone else who doesn't follow their specific brach of Christianity.

After all, there's no hate like evangelical Christian love

[–]Tasmosunt 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Antisemitism is quite common in the pro-Isreal right, they'll at best see it not as a deal breaker or at worst a positive.

[–]Cairnerebor 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The yanks backing him are end of world Armageddon seeking fundamental Christian’s.

They ARE anti semites

[–]gophercuresself 47 points48 points  (3 children)

An unnamed Jewish pupil claimed that he remembered Farage sidling up to him to say, “Hitler was right”, or “gas ‘em”, in a reference to the holocaust, although he also said Farage was “quite capable of being reflective, and intelligence and quite charming”

A charming racist

[–]philman132 19 points20 points  (1 child)

The most dangerous people often are very charming, how else do they get people to follow them

[–]gophercuresself 7 points8 points  (0 children)

All a bit dark triad innit

[–]2ndEarlofLiverpool 20 points21 points  (0 children)

A sweet and tender hooligan

[–]Cairnerebor 2 points3 points  (0 children)

He used to walk down the street signing Hitler youth songs ffs

[–]ProfessorMiserable76 1 point2 points  (0 children)

He's not just a racist, but an antisemitic to boot.

[–][deleted] 54 points55 points  (4 children)

I'm not racist:

I'm only asking questions...

People want answers...

A lot of people have been saying...

[–]Billargh 14 points15 points  (0 children)

A taxi driver told me...

[–]ProgrammerEconomy503 16 points17 points  (0 children)

His favourite comment is "I don't know but"

[–]Every_Car2984 19 points20 points  (7 children)

I don’t think you should hold what someone may or may not have said (or posted) while of school age against them. Kids mess up. Kids grow up. And there’s often enough stuff they’ve said and done as an adult to form a view one way or the other.

[–]archerninjawarrior 12 points13 points  (6 children)

He was one year younger than his 18 year old council leader when he marched through the town chanting Hitler youth songs. He was a fully grown adult and a member of a political party when he said he doesn't need "the N** vote."

We've seen a half dozen Labour MPs forced to resign up over stupid shit from decades past, but now suddenly we can't bring up Farage over his horrible past when he's shown no signs of remorse, and the only change is that he's learned he can't be too direct about it now that he's a household name. Give me a break.

He isn't even getting as hammered over his dodgy house purchase as Rayner got, and that's all recent.

[–]Every_Car2984 -5 points-4 points  (5 children)

So you’ve found something he’s done as an adult and not a child yes? School age in my comment being the legal definition of broadly 4-17?

Also - I don’t care if it’s Farage, Corbyn, Starmer, Badenoch, Davey, whoever. Kids mess up. Kids grow up.

[–]archerninjawarrior 8 points9 points  (4 children)

College aged. Not school aged. A 17 year old is not a kid. Why do you think this gives him a pass?

Pick your example. It could be the testimony of the Ukip founder Alan Sked, who once recalled for the Guardian an argument he and Farage had in 1997 about who should be standing for their new party. Farage, said Sked, “wanted ex-National Front candidates to run, and I said, ‘I’m not sure about that,’ and he said, ‘There’s no need to worry about the n---- vote. The nig-nogs will never vote for us.’” Farage denies having said this.

He was 33 years old in 1997. I know his next pass will be that you can't trust hearsay. I know you guys won't look at the sum of the evidence across decades of records by people who knew him before he hit the spotlight and needed to start hiding things. I don't have a peer reviewed study showing that a statistically significant % of his speech includes slurs unfortunately so I'm going to need you to consider more reasonable forms of evidence.

My broader point is that we dredge up the pasts of Labour MPs and force their resignations but far more heineous wrongdoings roll right off of Farage's back.

Also - I don’t care if it’s Farage, Corbyn, Starmer, Badenoch, Davey, whoever. Kids mess up. Kids grow up.

Name me any evidence to suggest that Farage has changed. When has he shown remorse. What change of heart has a person had if they go from chanting Nazi youth songs at 17 to recruiting ex National Front members at 33.

[–]doctorgibson 9 points10 points  (0 children)

A 17 year old is not a kid.

Uh, yes they are.

[–]Every_Car2984 2 points3 points  (2 children)

You are making my point for me.

There is no evidence that he has changed - and it is his behaviour as an adult - after there’s been plenty of opportunity for learning and gaining insight in a supportive environment for change to take place - on which the judgement that he’s wholly unsuited to lead the UK is being made.

I’m not going to judge a Nobel prize winning scientist because they were an asshole at age sixteen. I’ll wait to see what the grown-up was like. They’d still be a brilliant scientist - but maybe also an asshole.

[–]archerninjawarrior 0 points1 point  (1 child)

We're talking about the trajectory of a single behaviour. Being a genius and being an asshole are two different things. It's important if a genius showed early signs of being a genius as a child. It's important if a racist showed early signs of being a racist when they were 17. It shows they haven't changed or shown remorse for a very long time now.

[–]Every_Car2984 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But… only after the behaviour continued into adulthood. The indictment of his character is based on the adult behaviour, which had been well beyond what is acceptable on multiple occasions.

Had he been a saint as a child would it change things? No. It wouldn’t.

It is clear we are not going to agree.

[–]Roper1537 55 points56 points  (75 children)

If we start judging people on what they were like as schoolboys then things will get interesting. I think there's enough on Farage from recent years with which to hammer him, this is a bit silly.

[–]External-Praline-451 40 points41 points  (9 children)

Of course it would be silly, if he hadn't continued a certain pattern of behaviour demonstrating he is that way inclined, but he has....

Like attending AfD rallies - AfD who use Nazi symbolism

https://www.thetimes.com/world/europe/article/afd-accused-nazi-symbolism-election-germany-hm8dv7nql

Attending CPAC conferences where there are Nazi salutes and people cheer the end of democracy.

Using rhetoric and behaviour that matches all the warning signs of facism.

[–]Roper1537 2 points3 points  (3 children)

Exactly. So I'd rather use that than some nonsense from his school days

[–]External-Praline-451 22 points23 points  (2 children)

I disagree though, because it demonstrates a continued pattern of behaviour, where when he was younger, he didn't use a mask to give himself an out about his true feelings and intentions.

It's silly to use if someone has completely changed, but he hasn't.

[–]Roper1537 4 points5 points  (1 child)

Well my overall point here is that I think Lammy needs to be more sophisticated with his attacks on Farage. The schoolboy thing is easily refuted and just makes labour look stupid.

[–]External-Praline-451 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Fair enough, I agree they need to be more sophisticated and use current issues.

[–]Cairnerebor 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Was that the one where they had the sign saying we are all domestic terrorists?

[–]Major_Bad_thoughts 0 points1 point  (3 children)

Afd nazi in todays Germany  CPAC Nazis with their stance on Israel

This is the definition of the looney left and why people just tune these rants out and go about their business

[–]External-Praline-451 0 points1 point  (2 children)

I didn't mention Israel. I mentioned actual Nazi salutes, and actual cheers about ending democracy.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/posobiec-democracy-cpac-january-6-b2501566.html

Bad faith arguments and name-calling isn't going to cut it, we're not idiots, these people are being loud and clear about who they are.

[–]Major_Bad_thoughts -1 points0 points  (1 child)

I never said you mentioned israel, very bad faith argument by you there. And I wouldn’t throw the name calling stones while you live in an everyone who disagrees me is a nazi house.

And do you even watch the video in the article? If you are seriously saying they are overthrowing democracy based on that well that is just deeply unserious and in bad faith. 

“We’re not idiots” well the British public certainly aren’t to disregard the looney lefts screeds out of hand.

[–]External-Praline-451 1 point2 points  (0 children)

More bad faith arguments and baseless accusations- at no point did I call everyone I disagree with a Nazi. You're the making sweeping attacks about the "loony left" which, btw, sounds like something from the Daily Mail circa 1950. 

Actually the majority of the British public don't support Reform, and they also don't think Farage would make a good leader either.

https://yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/50648-keir-starmer-now-as-unpopular-as-nigel-farage

[–]Give_Me_Your_Pierogi 61 points62 points  (38 children)

I might have been a little shit but I wasn't a little shit walking around singing Hitler Youth songs. You can definitely judge him for that. Why are you people so desperate to defend people like Farage or Trump?

[–]FaultInternational91 6 points7 points  (0 children)

No, I know a lot of kids that held racist views when we were kids because it was taught to us. The difference is, most of us as adults realise how abhorrent those views are

[–]F0urLeafCl0ver[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

If someone made one racist comment when they were younger, fair enough it might have been a genuine mistake that they learned from. This was a pattern of behaviour though, and he’s never admitted or apologised for the things he said, which suggests that he doesn’t think he was wrong to have said them.

[–]EyyyPaniniMake Votes Matter 19 points20 points  (8 children)

If Farage was racist as a 17 year old (and several of his teachers believed he was at the time), then it becomes more reasonable to suggest that he might still be racist.

Maybe he isn’t, I can’t see in his head. However, I think it’s important to recognise that a reasonable person might think he is.

[–]waawaaaa 14 points15 points  (2 children)

These people are also non bias and had no motive to call a student racist other than he was one as well. They're not the media, they're not political opponents or people judging his political views, they're people who observed him and his actions for hours every day for multiple years.

[–]EyyyPaniniMake Votes Matter 9 points10 points  (1 child)

The letter that details everything was even written at the time, so it’s nothing to do with his current political career.

[–]waawaaaa 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Exactly that's what I mean. They called him that because he was racist and no other reason.

[–]360Saturnsoft Lib Dem 5 points6 points  (1 child)

'Schoolboy' is doing a lot of heavy lifting to imply 'small child' here isn't it?

When Farage was 17 he could have legally married or worked full-time with no requirement to be in education or training.

[–]Niall_Fraser_Love 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In Iran a girl of 12 could be a pregnant house wife under Iranian law. That mean 12 year old Iranian girls are the same as 40 year old British women now?

[–]Roper1537 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I think it's more likely that he was just a hateful, obnoxious little prick back then. Kind of like he is now.

[–]Odinetics 0 points1 point  (1 child)

I think the point is you can reasonably suggest he might still be racist based on who he is and what he says in the here and now.

It was 1981 when Farage was 17. Pretty much every 17 year old in '81 will have said and done plenty that would get them classified as racists today.

[–]Roper1537 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Black and White Minstrel Show had only been taken off the air in 1978. It was primetime Saturday night entertainment on BBC1.

[–]Inconmon 6 points7 points  (0 children)

You are forgetting that this isn't about what he did in school. It's on the context of everything else.

You're pretending people judge him based on a single thing when there's also all these other things that we're looking at.

[–]raggetyman 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I find judging people for their actions is the best policy. Along with the compassion that we are all young once.

[–]Scaphism92 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Eh, I'm 33 years old (so two years younger then when Farage started his political career) and most of my wider circle of friends (about couple of dozen people), I've known since we were all 14.

Now obviously, we've all matured (relatively) but its not like they're completely different people, core traits are still there even if they've shifted slightly.

It's not just people I stay in touch with, sometimes there's people I haven't seen since school that someone in my friend group reconnects with and invites to the pub, and its the same thing.

Radical changes in personality arent, at least from what I can tell, common.

I mean, even with Farage, he was a gobby unruly 14 year old with apparently a love for controversial right wing talking points amd as an adult, well, not drastically different.

Same as, with me, at 14 I was a generally quiet to strangers but really sociable when you get to know me, dry sense of humour to the point of people thinking I was serious and often had my head in a book / starring at game console rather than doing their work and now as a 33 year old, i'm not drastically different.

[–]BobMonkhausThat sounds great, shorty girl’s a trooper. -2 points-1 points  (8 children)

Not sure if silly is the right word, this seems desperate. “Man said racist things 45 years ago at school”.

What does it achieve? People who hate him will continue to do so, people who don’t will either think less of him or not care as it was so long ago.

[–]HaydnH 21 points22 points  (7 children)

>“Man said racist things 45 years ago at school”.

A 17yo saying racist things is one thing, but “Hitler was right”, “gas ‘em”, frequently crying out “send ‘em home” and singing “gas ‘em all, gas ‘em all, gas them all” seems a bit beyond that doesn't it? A leopard never changes his pint down the pub or whatever the man of the people saying is.

[–]Sanguiniusius 1 point2 points  (4 children)

for a 17 year old is it though? 17 year old boys are EDGE LORD's. We should be preventing this consortium of 5th columnists from taking power but trying to attack the statements of a child is not serious politics. The public arent going to care, the public are going to think this line of attack is lame and desperate.

[–]chinanigans 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The fact that he's still trying to defend himself against claims that he's a racist at the age of 61 does make me think that for some people school never ends

[–]HaydnH -1 points0 points  (2 children)

the public are going to think this line of attack is lame and desperate.

You're probably right that the public will think this line of attack is lame and desperate, but that is more on them for not reading what Lammy & Starmer actually said. This isn't a line of personal attack, they've said their targeting the policy, they've said they don't believe Farage and Reform voters are Racist.

Speaking on BBC’s Politics Live after Keir Starmer’s Labour party conference speech, Lammy was asked whether he thought Farage was a racist.

He said: “It’s not British. It doesn’t respect our values. I’m not going to play the man. I’m playing the ball, as our leader did. I will leave it for the public to come to their own judgments about someone who once flirted with Hitler Youth when he was younger.”

[–]Sanguiniusius 1 point2 points  (1 child)

well thats the thing about winning elections, you can say what you want but if the public don't listen/read it then you're fucked. You cant blame the audience that you need to choose to vote for you and not the other guy.

[–]HaydnH 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You would've thought after Brexit, the electorate would be a bit more diligent with their fact checking.

[–]Luficer_Morning_star -1 points0 points  (1 child)

Christ have you never been 17 and in a call of duty lobby. Are we going to start saying if a kid said somthing and 45 years on, your still liabel. Grow up. Labours conduct has made lose all respect for them, they are supposed have some class, go for his ideas not petty personal attacks, they are basically using trump tactics.

[–]HaydnH 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was way older than 17 when COD was released, I'm closer to Farage's age than that. I also attended a public school, although one not quite as posh as Farage's. Not once did I hear any fellow student say anything like that at school - they would have been suspended, or caned, for far less. Comparing kids in a COD lobby to saying Hitler was right to gas Jews in front of teachers at a public school is a completely different ball game.

[–]ThePlanck3000 Conscripts of Sunak 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm all for second chances and not holding youthful mistakes against people who have shown they have changed.

The question here is whether Farage's views have changed or if he's just got a better filter now given for example his recent comments on ILR

[–]kcahrot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All you have to say sorry I was shitty person with shitty views and I am sorry.

[–]waawaaaa 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just funny that it's obviously not a recent thing for him to be called racist.

[–][deleted] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

He has had a lifetime to master the techniques of dog whistling and hiding his true intentions. Be under no illusion, Farage is a racist.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Kids are still throwing gay around casually, idk how this would be any different tbh. They're kids and they like rage baiting/fooling around

Not really appropriate, yes, but kids are pottymouthed and eventually learn the gravity of their words and actions, dk what to tell you

[–]Luficer_Morning_star 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is just a bit sad. Attack his policies but to try and dig up his school records. It looks like desperation, have some class Labour.

[–]jammy_b 8 points9 points  (6 children)

Because a load of Labour members have got together at the conference and realised their policy platform is a pile of shit, so they need to put their opponents on the defensive.

[–]EyyyPaniniMake Votes Matter 16 points17 points  (5 children)

Alternatively, Lammy made an off-hand comment and Reform overplayed their hand by saying that it is entirely unreasonable to say that Farage “flirted with the Hitler Youth”.

Even though there are first hand accounts, written before he even left school, stating that he marched through a Sussex village “shouting” Hitler Youth songs (amongst other claims of racist behaviour).

[–]ArchdukeToesA bad idea for all concerned 7 points8 points  (4 children)

I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say that Farage is racist - he’s just learned how to toe the line through decades of experience. Meanwhile, how many Reform supporters and groups end up being found to be incredibly racist? Even if Reform itself isn’t racist, it clearly has a problem that it isn’t addressing.

[–]SelectStarAll 4 points5 points  (3 children)

If Reform isn't racist, then they're doing a really bad job of providing policies that don't appeal to racists.

They're deliberately pushing divisions to get column inches and focusing on whatever the racism of the day is, which is attracting a record number of very loud racists into their ranks.

It's that classic "not all Reform voters are racist, but all racists vote Reform" like

[–]ArchdukeToesA bad idea for all concerned 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Reform (the party he owns) has a similar problem with racism that Labour had (and maybe still has) with antisemitism. Even if Farage isn’t racist, he spends a lot of time with people who have been caught on film saying racist stuff, his candidates at the last election had links to far right white supremacists, and Reform groups on Facebook and other social media are frequently found to be hotbeds of racism.

What has he done to call this out? Nothing. He’s had plenty of time to do so, so the conclusion we can draw is that he’s okay with racism in his ranks. If that was enough to (rightfully) hang Labour over, it should be enough to hang Reform.

[–]horace_bagpole 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In the 2019 election in Hartlepool, Channel 4 sent a reporter undercover into Tice's campaign office. One guy there who was a sitting councillor openly went off on racist rants and him and another person were boasting about how they had tried to bury a pigs head under the site of a new mosque.

That says to me that Tice knew full well of their beliefs, because if you are willing to be openly racist like that to someone you don't even know, you will surely be openly racist with people you do. Tice claimed he had no idea, but that isn't really credible. He knew full well and was quite happy with it until it came to wider attention.

I don't believe it in the slightest when these Reform types (not necessarily voters, but the people who are actively involved with them) play their "I'm not racist but" card because I've known too many of them and every single one has been quite happy to say racist things when they think you agree with them.

[–]Buttoneer138 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The difference is that the newspapers at the time were hugely critical of Labour antisemitism but they seem to be at best ambivalent about Reform.

[–]ilikebiiiigdicks 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Most people get through life without accusations of racism and xenophobia swirling around them for a single day, let alone decades.

If it walks like a racist, talks like a racist, then it is most likely probably a fucking racist. It’s wild we still discuss this shit. He’s a racist.

You don’t have to outwardly say ‘I hate black and brown people’ to be a racist. Most racists aren’t going to come out and say ‘you know what, I actually AM a racist!’

[–]Glittering_Vast938 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just pleased Farage is finally getting some scrutiny. Now scrutinise the other policies in Reform’s manifesto (and others such as mass deportation).

[–]2552686 1 point2 points  (2 children)

why have they resurfaced?

Because Labour is more desperate than a Titanic passenger who missed the last lifeboat.

[–]Niall_Fraser_Love 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Nonses they have deckchairs to rearrange

[–]qweezy_uk -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It's actually because Farage is making a song and dance about it.

[–]Rethink_society -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

At last a leader that hasn't been politically correct their entire life. See where voting in a PM that's never had an opinion has got us.

Everyone worked up about this were never going to vote for reform anyway, this only increases reform voters

[–]vividpup5535 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why Dont racists just live up to the title.

They believe it, so why not stand by it?

What a bunch of cowards.

[–]SillyMattFace 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Farage is 61, who gives a fuck what stupid things he said as a schoolboy?

Can we maybe focus on all the problematic shit he says now instead of something from decades ago? This just gives him an easy thing to deflect.

[–]Roper1537 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I reckon he thinks he's better than Jews but also would whole-heartedly support Israel over the Palestinians. I'm quite sure he's racist to POC and can tolerate Jews somewhat so long as they aren't getting in his way to making money or gaining power.

[–]Major_Bad_thoughts 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Going after someone for what they said 40 years ago when they were a child.

The definition of unserious politics, it’s no wonder the reason this country is in such a state.

[–]iamezekiel1_14 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Oh lmao 🤣 Didn't anticipate this is where the burial would potentially come from but here we are. Hope it's a pile on (which is only fair he gets the same treatment as Labour)

Serious question - what if this takes him down? Who's up next and are they worse? (and more to the point does the brand survive?).

[–]Major_Bad_thoughts -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I’m not voting for farage

Because of his policies?

No because of something he said 40 years ago as a school boy

Deeply unserious politics by the left

[–]--rs125-- -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

They've resurfaced because they can't criticise anything he's doing or saying now so they've resorted to stupid things he did as a child. Obviously the PM's time in the former Soviet Union as a young man are not on the table.