Thousands of mourners gathered at a vigil in London’s Trafalgar Square on Monday to mourn ex-Cambridge University professor Jason Arday, who took his own life last week.
Arday, 41, was found dead at his home in Battersea, south London, on Friday, August 14.
Mourners held signs reading “Rest in power Professor Jason Arday” and “Stop racist media now.” They blamed the media “witch hunt” and “racism in mainstream media” for his death.
According to theGrio.com, a petition calling for a public inquiry into the media’s behavior gathered more than 96,000 signatures by Monday.
UK media analysis organization NewsCord counted 249 articles written about Arday by the UK media in the days before his death. 188 articles about Arday were published in the 9 days following his resignation.
Arday resigned from his position as professor of Sociology of Education on August 5. He was the youngest Black professor at Cambridge when he was hired in 2023.
His resignation came hours after Cambridge announced an investigation into his academic qualifications and allegations of plagiarism.
Thousands of people gathered at Trafalgar Square in London on Monday to mourn Jason Arday, a Black professor who faced a storm of plagiarism accusations and died suddenly, days after resigning from the University of Cambridge. His death has prompted outcries that the allegations… pic.twitter.com/AhWBHSLkTs
— The Associated Press (@AP) August 18, 2026
UK politicians Diane Abbott and Dawn Butler, filmmaker Misan Harriman and singer Beverley Knight attended the vigil.
Arday’s family did not attend the vigil, but Bell Ribeiro-Addy, a Member of Parliament, read their statement. The family described Arday as a “selfless and gentle soul” who dedicated himself to uplifting others. They also said the public cruelty he experienced was too much for anyone to bear.