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Thousands of people dressed in black, carrying roses and sunflowers along with banners saying "Rest in power Professor Jason Arday," gathered in central Trafalgar Square on Monday, blaming racism and relentless media pressure for his death last week.
Arday, who became Cambridge's youngest-ever black professor when he was appointed in 2023, was found dead Friday aged 41, following mounting accusations he had plagiarised parts of his doctoral thesis and exaggerated some of his personal life achievements.
Diagnosed with autism and other developmental difficulties as a child, Arday had rejected the allegations against him. In a public resignation letter on August 5, he wrote that he had "reached the limits of what any person should reasonably be expected to endure".
The cause of his death has not been made public, with police saying only that it was not suspicious and they were preparing a file for a coroner. Arday's family did not attend the vigil, but issued a statement that read out to the crowd, thanking supporters for their "love, support, and grief".
Chris Smith, the University of Cambridge's chancellor, told the BBC he believed such claims should be "rigorously investigated". But amid a media storm surrounding the accusations, he added that it was right to "refuse to join in a racist feeding frenzy over a particular academic".
MP Diane Abbott, the first black woman elected to the UK parliament, told the rally, "He felt he had no choice but to resign. And he must have felt that if he resigned, the attacks on him would stop. But, in fact, they got even worse from his resignation to his suicide last week. It wasn't just a campaign against the professor. It was a campaign against all of us."
The university is also facing questions over its handling of the allegations and its treatment of Arday. Last week, before news of his death, Cambridge's vice-chancellor, Deborah Prentice, announced an investigation into the circumstances of his appointment and his time at the university.
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