KKK hood placed on Oxford college statue ahead of talk by Jason Arday accuser

A Ku Klux Klan hood has been placed over a statue outside Oriel College in Oxford, in an apparent protest against an upcoming talk by a self-described “race realist”.

The statue, of British politician Cecil Rhodes, also now bears a sign that says “racists welcome here”.

The college is due to host a talk by Nathan Cofnas on Thursday evening. Mr Cofnas, a US academic, was the first person to level public accusations of plagiarism against late University of Cambridge professor Jason Arday.

Mr Arday, the university’s youngest Black professor, died in August following widespread scrutiny over the allegations, as well as his claims he made in his memoir Great and Unfortunate Things.

His family said that he had been subjected to a “campaign of sustained abuse” since taking the Cambridge role.

The campaign group Led By Donkeys posted on Instagram on Thursday, appearing to take credit for the protest.

“Nathan Cofnas, the man who kick-started the campaign against Professor Jason Arday, will be hosted here in Oriel College,” they said.

“But this is the college staying true to form. It continues to display this statue of Cecil Rhodes, the notorious imperialist who created brutally racist colonies in southern Africa.”

The statue of Mr Rhodes has long been the subject of controversy due to his legacy of white supremacist views and his role in paving the way for apartheid in South Africa.

He left £100,000 to the college when he died in 1902, equivalent to more than £12 million in today’s money.

In 2020, during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, 26 members of Oxford City Council signed a letter urging Oriel to immediately remove the statue of Mr Rhodes from the front of its Grade II-listed building.

They said that the statue was not compatible with the city’s “commitment to anti-racism”.

The talk by Mr Cofnas, planned for Tuesday, was organised by the university’s Reform UK society and is billed as “An evening with Nathan Cofnas: Is DEI undermining higher education?”

The society said that he would speak about diversity, equity and inclusion measures and their impact on universities’ hiring practices.

Oriel College said it is “committed to upholding freedom of speech within the law and has a statutory duty to do so”.

However, the event has attracted widespread criticism from students, staff, and high-profile politicians and campaigners, who say it has caused “great distress”, in particular among the college’s Black community.