By Karim Hammam
Dozens of academics, MPs, and campaigners have signed an open letter demanding that Oxford University’s Oriel College cancel an event featuring Nathan Cofnas, the academic who sparked plagiarism accusations against the late Professor Jason Arday.
Open letter cites safety and equality concerns
The letter, organized by the Oxford Students’ Coalition against Racism and supported by Stand Up to Racism and Black Lives Matter UK, argues that free speech does not override duties under the Equality Act 2010. Signatories include Diane Abbott, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Afua Hirsch, Gary Younge, Beverley Knight, Jeremy Corbyn, Nadia Whittome, and actor Zawe Ashton, along with several professors. They call for the event to be axed or postponed until a full risk assessment is published and safeguards for Black students and staff are proven.
Event organized by student society
The talk, titled “An evening with Nathan Cofnas: Is DEI undermining higher education?”, is scheduled for 17 November at Oriel College’s Harris lecture hall. It was booked by the Oxon Universities’ Reform Society (OURS), a registered student society. Cofnas, a self-described “race realist,” has argued that genes contribute to racial group differences in intelligence and publicly questioned Arday’s appointment at Cambridge.
College defends freedom of speech
Oriel College stated it is committed to upholding freedom of speech within the law and has a statutory duty to do so. The college said the event is a student booking and that permitting it does not imply endorsement of the speaker’s views. It added that security implications and member safety are taken seriously when considering booking requests.
Arday’s death and ongoing inquest
Professor Jason Arday, Cambridge University’s youngest ever Black professor, was found dead at his Battersea home in August after facing plagiarism accusations sparked by a blog post from Cofnas. An inquest into Arday’s death is ongoing. Cofnas told The Independent he and OURS have faced a torrent of abuse and that he will deliver his talk “from behind a wall of security guards.”
