Jason Arday's family 'still coming to terms' with his death as vigil held

The family of Jason Arday have said they are "still coming to terms" with his death in a statement shared at a vigil for the professor in Trafalgar Square.

Arday, who became Cambridge University's youngest black professor when appointed in 2023, had faced weeks of media coverage over plagiarism allegations and questions about his achievements. He denied the claims.

In a statement read by Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy on behalf of Arday's family, they said "the public cruelty Jason was subjected to was too much for any man to bear".

The central London vigil was organised by the group Stand Up to Racism, and several speakers paying tribute to Arday complained about his treatment by the media.

In their statement, his family said: "What has become clear over the past 72 hours is the profound impact he had on people".

They said they wished for him to be remembered "for the wonderful person he was and all that he achieved".

"A selfless and gentle soul, he tirelessly uplifted others through his words and actions. His achievements were great and we do not want misrepresentations about his character to overshadow them," they added.

Vigil organisers had asked people to wear black if possible, and to bring flowers. Many in the crowd of 2,000 or more did that even though the event had been organised at short notice. The mood in Trafalgar Square was sombre, with an underlying anger. The focus of the fury was the media.

The vigil's speakers included Labour MP Diane Abbott, who said Arday had been subject to a "vicious and bitter media campaign" which she attributed to "people who didn't believe a black man should be a Cambridge professor".

"He must have felt that if he resigned, the attacks on him would stop. But in fact, they got even worse.

"This was a campaign against all of us," she added.

Lord Simon Woolley, principal of Homerton College at the University of Cambridge, told the vigil that when he met with Arday last week, the academic told him he felt that critics were "hounding me to death".

Filmmaker and activist Misan Harriman told the vigil: "The legacy media crossed every line in the treatment of Jason.

"Imagine being so lost in the business of cruelty that you relish hurting another human for sport, with your own poison pen."

He added: "Jason should still be here today."

The University of Cambridge initially said claims of plagiarism regarding Arday's thesis and some journal publications had been investigated by Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and the journals in question.

LJMU - which awarded Arday his PhD in 2015 - concluded that he had not plagiarised work.

But last week, Cambridge announced an independent investigation into his appointment.

Arday, 41, was found dead at an address in south London, on Friday. He had resigned as a Cambridge professor of sociology of education on 5 August, saying his resignation should not "be mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me".

Monday's vigil came as more than 90,000 people signed a Good Law Project petition seeking an inquiry into media coverage of Arday.

Earlier, Cambridge University's chancellor criticised the "racist feeding frenzy" around Arday in the weeks before his death.

Speaking publicly for the first time on the row, Lord Chris Smith said academic integrity could be upheld while questioning Arday's treatment.

In a statement, he said: "I do believe it is possible to hold to two principles at the same time: to believe in the importance of academic integrity, and where criticisms of plagiarism arise, about any academic, whoever they are, ensure that they are rigorously investigated.

"And also to refuse to join in a racist feeding frenzy over a particular academic."

The peer is an ex-Labour MP and secretary of state for culture, media and sport as well as a former chairman of the Environment Agency.

Downing Street declined to say "at this stage" whether Prime Minister Andy Burnham was considering an inquiry, reiterating that it was "a moment for reflection", and that it was right for "the usual processes" like an inquest, to conclude.

An investigation will be carried out to determine the cause of death, which could take several weeks, London Inner South Coroner's Court said.

Once complete, the coroner will confirm if an inquest will take place.

Shadow housing secretary Sir James Cleverly said he was angry about what happened to Arday, and the university establishment - not just Cambridge - should have "done the robust due diligence and checking that should happen with any senior academic appointment".

Speaking to the BBC's Today programme, the shadow housing secretary said he felt Arday was used as "bragging rights by some universities", and that people spoke of his "age and his ethnicity rather than his talent".

Sir James - who was Britain's first black home secretary and foreign secretary - said much of the coverage surrounding Arday was "quite possibly" motivated by racism, but that the questions over plagiarism were legitimate, regardless of motivation.

The plagiarism row began after another academic - self-defined "race realist" Nathan Cofnas, who was sacked from his Cambridge role in 2024 - said he found numerous instances of plagiarism in the professor's work.

Cofnas's post had been terminated amid a backlash to his view that under a true meritocracy black people would "disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment".

Cambridge had celebrated Arday's appointment as a young black professor, one of a tiny and visible minority in academia. Only 1% of professors in UK universities are black, making each appointment hugely significant.

On Sunday, more than 200 people attended a vigil at Cambridge that was organised by Arday's postdoctoral students.