Thousands mourn Jason Arday in London, blaming ‘racist’ press for his death

London, United Kingdom – Tens of thousands of mourners dressed in black have filled London’s Trafalgar Square, with many carrying flowers for a vigil for Jason Arday, a former Cambridge University professor who died amid weeks of media scrutiny over claims of plagiarism.

The 41-year-old academic, who was the youngest Black professor in Cambridge’s history, was found dead at his home in south London on Friday, with many at Monday’s vigil blaming relentless and “racist” media coverage for his death.

Arday, who was diagnosed with autism as a child, had denied the allegations against him.

Mourners on Monday carried signs that read, “Rest in power Professor Jason Arday”, “Stop racist media now” and “Racism within mainstream media is responsible for Jason Arday’s death”.

The gathering was, as one man at the vigil put it, “a gathering of grief and of grievance”.

“Myself and many other people felt quite compelled to be here to show respect to Professor Arday and his family,” said Paul Vincent, a social worker. “But also to come together in a sense of solidarity, to say that we are deeply disturbed. Something dark has happened that we’re not happy with.”

He added that the case had become fodder for ideological point-scoring.

“Sadly, the issues attached to the tragedy are juicy issues, for lack of a better term, for the right and the far right. It ticks all of their boxes.”