Allegations of Racist Behaviour Against Nigel Farage During School Years at Dulwich College
In 1981, at Dulwich College, Nigel Farage, then aged 17, was alleged by both staff and pupils to have held racist and neo-fascist views. Incidents included bullying and singing Nazi songs during combined cadet force events. English teacher Chloë Deakin documented these concerns in a letter written in June 1981 to headmaster David Emms, opposing Farage's nomination as a prefect. The letter detailed incidents witnessed and contained staff testimony against Farage's behaviour.
Despite Deakin's protest, Farage remained on the final prefect list. Headmaster Emms and deputy Terry Walsh regarded Farage as more naughty than malevolent. Following these events, Deakin left Dulwich College and pursued a career as a civil servant in the Department for Education.
Further investigation by The Guardian, speaking to more than 30 contemporaries from Dulwich, revealed accounts of racist or antisemitic abuse by Farage or witnessed by others, expanding on earlier reports. Farage's lawyers initially denied any racist or antisemitic behaviour, and Farage himself later claimed some past remarks might be considered banter but denied any direct targeting. He has not issued an apology to date.
The 1981 letter by Chloë Deakin was first made public by Channel 4 journalist Michael Crick in 2013 during a programme about Farage. Additionally, there is an open letter from 26 of Farage's school contemporaries, alongside concerns from 11 Holocaust survivors, urging against dismissing these claims as mere banter and calling for Farage to show contrition.
The teenage behaviour attributed to Farage reportedly spanned from age 13 to 18, before he proceeded to pursue a career in the City.
