Stand with Cambridge University students over the death of Professor Arday

Ten days ago, on the 14th of August, tragically and preventably, Professor Jason Arday died.

A sustained campaign consisting of 249 articles published through major national news outlets over 22 days was launched against Professor Jason Arday. During this period, the university, under the Vice Chancellor’s leadership, failed in its responsibility to safeguard Professor Arday and other racialised and marginalised members of the University. The Vice-Chancellor’s misconduct and mishandling contributed significantly to the preventable death of Professor Arday.

The University initially defended Professor Arday against what it deemed a “vile smear campaign”. However, four days prior to his death, the Vice-Chancellor bowed to public pressure and launched an investigation into Professor Arday. Her statement was a screeching u-turn which abandoned an academic being attacked in connection with his appointment by the University, describing this as a “troubling case” and later an “aberration”. 

What exactly was the support, we would like to know, that the University provided to Professor Arday after his resignation? Can the Vice-Chancellor confirm that the University did not encourage Professor Arday to resign?

Her silence around the racist nature of this public campaign in the three gruelling weeks of public scrutiny immensely harmed the well-being of Professor Arday and Black students and staff across the University.

This speaks to a wider pattern of harm towards the Black community being ignored by the Vice-Chancellor. In 2024, 58 formal complaints were lodged with the University of Cambridge about Nathan Cofnas following his racist views about Black intellectual ability. Following an investigation, these complaints were dismissed. These dismissals, we believe, prioritised appeasing the right wing media above the protection of the University of Cambridge’s own scholars who had documented profound mistrust from those experiencing racism.

The Vice Chancellor has severely failed to uphold the legislatively mandated commitment to freedom from discrimination. Instead, her statements fuelled the racially motivated campaign targeting Professor Arday. Despite multiple reported warnings that Professor Arday needed to be safeguarded, the Vice-Chancellor and senior leadership of the University repeatedly ignored concerns raised by those closest to him, exacerbating the risk to his life. 

The Vice-Chancellor’s statements on 11th and 14th August, the latter published only hours before his death, did not express any concern for Professor Arday’s wellbeing.

The Vice-Chancellor’s demonstrated actions and inaction directly contributed to the tragic and preventable death of a beloved professor. We have lost confidence in her stewardship of this university, and her ability to enact the necessary change that needs to happen.

Along with the Vice-Chancellor’s immediate resignation, we concur with the demands raised by the Cambridge Black Alumni and Student Collective, dated 24 August, as necessary next steps to accountability, justice and healing.

Signed

University of Cambridge students, staff and alumni: 65+

Bell Riberio-Addy, MP

Diane Abbott, MP

Claudia Webbe, ex MP

Hamza Egal, Chair, Global Majority Greens

Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, author

Professor Sir Patrick Vernon

Samantha Asumadu, journalist

Zita Holbourne, campaigner

Leroy Logan, ex-police chief

Lee Jasper, Chair Alliance for Police Accountability

Timi Okuwa, CEO of Black Equity Organisation

Jermain Jackman, singer and activist

Wilf Sullivan, ex-TUC

Margaret Greer, national race equality officer for UNISON

Please join us in signing this open letter and stand with us in demanding Professor Deborah Prentice’s resignation as the first step towards the long road of accountability and justice for Professor Jason Arday.

Good Law Project has been asked by Black members of the University of Cambridge and their allies to host this letter. Good Law Project holds the names of the Cambridge Black students and academics and allies who signed this letter but we are not publishing them because they are fearful of retaliation by the press.