After much deliberation about speaking publicly, Thursday solidified my resolve. Nigel Farage addressed racism claims from his youth by criticizing BBC and ITV for broadcasting comedian Bernard Manning and fictional character Alf Garnett in the 1970s. As a Christian, I found his deflection—invoking “let he without sin cast the first stone”—profoundly disingenuous. That moment decided things.
My parents, born in Nigeria, arrived in Britain during the 1950s. Like many Commonwealth immigrants, they came to contribute. My mother retrained as a nurse despite her qualifications from Nigeria, while my father became an osteopath. They dedicated themselves to building a healthier nation, through the NHS and private practice.
I’ll omit their accounts of "direct or indirect" racial abuse from that era—terms Farage now uses to diminish his past actions. Such distinctions suggest some racism is acceptable. Those years and their ugliness belong to their generation, not mine. But I *was* at Dulwich College, a southeast London public school, alongside Farage in his teens. That story I can—and now will—share.
Between 1980 and 1981, I spent a year there, joining at age nine in the youngest class (JC). The sprawling institution accommodated students from nine to 18 across lower, middle, and upper schools. My diligent parents, thrilled by the opportunity, commemorated my enrollment as any proud family would.
Eventually, Farage—around 17 then—and another boy noticed me in the lower-school playground. Towering over me, he demanded: “Where are you from?” My stammered reply prompted his instant retort: “That’s the way back to Africa,” complete with a dismissive gesture toward some distant point.
Once singled out, he’d linger at the lower-school gate where I arrived each morning, repeating the cruelty. Let others parse whether this was “malicious or non-malicious,” “intentional or unintentional,” “direct or indirect.” I know how it felt: undeniably malicious. His expression of contempt remains unforgettable.
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