Thousands mourn Jason Arday in London, blaming ‘racist’ press for his death

The 41-year-old academic, who was the youngest Black professor in Cambridge’s history, was found dead at his home in south London on Friday, with many at Monday’s vigil blaming relentless and “racist” media coverage for his death.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Vigil held in central London for late Cambridge professor Jason Ardaylist 2 of 3Jason Arday’s death is institutional murderlist 3 of 3Who is DEI critic and Jason Arday accuser, Nathan Cofnas?end of listArday, who was diagnosed with autism as a child, had denied the allegations against him.Mourners on Monday carried signs that read, “Rest in power Professor Jason Arday”, “Stop racist media now” and “Racism within mainstream media is responsible for Jason Arday’s death”.The gathering was, as one man at the vigil put it, “a gathering of grief and of grievance”.Social worker Paul Vincent holds a ‘Rest in Power’ sign at a vigil for Jason Arday in London [Sunniya Ahmad Pirzada/ Al Jazeera]“Myself and many other people felt quite compelled to be here to show respect to Professor Arday and his family,” said Paul Vincent, a social worker. “But also to come together in a sense of solidarity, to say that we are deeply disturbed. Something dark has happened that we’re not happy with.”He added that the case had become fodder for ideological point-scoring.“Sadly, the issues attached to the tragedy are juicy issues, for lack of a better term, for the right and the far right. It ticks all of their boxes.”‘Racist feeding frenzy’The controversy centred on allegations that Arday had plagiarised parts of his 2015 doctoral thesis and embellished details of his personal biography. Arday resigned from his post at Cambridge on August 5, saying the “relentless accusations” had taken a “profound toll” on him and his family.Liverpool John Moores University, which awarded his doctorate, said it had cleared him of plagiarism, but Cambridge – which initially dismissed the allegations as a “vile campaign” to undermine Arday’s credibility – later opened a review of his appointment amid the continuing controversy.He was found dead two weeks later, with Metropolitan Police saying the death was being treated as “unexpected” but that it was “not believed to be suspicious”. The cause has not been made public.Cambridge Chancellor Chris Smith, Lord Smith of Finsbury, condemned what he called a “racist feeding frenzy” in a statement issued after Arday’s death.Patricia Cohen holds a yellow flower during a vigil for Jason Arday [Sunniya Ahmad Pirzada/Al Jazeera]Meanwhile, a petition calling for a public inquiry into the media’s conduct, started by the Good Law Project, had gathered more than 96,000 signatures by Monday. It argued that Arday’s “tragic death was the direct, foreseeable and foreseen result of press harassment,” and that “a significant element in that harassment was the colour of his skin”.The petition pointed to other academics who it said had faced comparatively little scrutiny over similar allegations. This included George Holmes, a university vice chancellor implicated in a fraud inquiry, and William O’Reilly, a Cambridge professor accused of plagiarising student essays. The petition noted that both men are white.According to NewsCord, a media analysis organisation, some 249 articles about Arday were published in media in the United Kingdom in the 22 days before his death, with 188 appearing in the final nine days after his resignation.Organisers at Monday’s vigil had asked attendees not to speak with reporters, and the mood towards the media was hostile throughout the evening.Patricia Cohen, who was at the vigil holding a yellow rose and a placard, said she had stopped reading coverage of the case weeks earlier, c