Jason Arday’s family said the “public cruelty” he faced was “too much for any man to bear” as thousands gathered at a vigil in his memory in Trafalgar Square on Monday.
The vigil concluded with words from Professor Arday’s family, read by Labour MP for Clapham & Brixton Hill Bell Ribeiro Addy, reflecting on the “incredibly painful time” the family had gone through over “the past 72 hours”.
Professor Arday was found dead at a property in Battersea on Friday afternoon after he resigned from his post as professor of sociology of education last week following a widely-publicised plagiarism row.
People gathered to Trafalgar Square in central London to remember the professor in a vigil organised by campaign group Stand Up to Racism. MPs Diane Abbott and Jeremy Corbyn could be seen in attendance alongside Misan Harriman.
Organisers said more than 30,000 people gathered outside the National Gallery on Monday evening to pay tribute to the former Cambridge professor.
Responding to the vigil, his family shared a message of gratitude for the outpour of grief from the public.
“This has been an incredibly painful time for our family, and we are still coming to terms with the tragic loss of our beloved Jason. What has become clear over the past 72 hours is the profound impact he had on people.
“We are grateful to all who have created light in this dark time through kindness, generosity and solidarity. Your presence here to remember him this evening means a lot to us, and while we cannot be there in person, please know that we stand with you in spirit.
“The public cruelty Jason was subjected to was too much for any man to bear. The outpouring of love, support and grief since his death means so much to us, although it is bittersweet. Kindness is needed in life, not just in death. We’ll never know what might have been different had he experienced more of it while he was still here.”
Professor Arday, who became Cambridge’s youngest black professor in 2023, was subjected to intense public scrutiny over the plagiarism allegations and questions about his achievements.
The British press has faced particular criticism for publishing almost 250 articles in three weeks over the plagiarism row faced by Professor Arday.
His friend and peer Lord Simon Woolley told the vigil the academic had been the victim of a “public execution”.
Lord Woolley reflected on a dinner he’d had with the academic alongside Ms Abbott and Mr Harriman.
“We held him in our arms. We told him he was loved. He held Diane’s (Abbott) hands, and he said, ‘I love you, but’, he said, ‘they’re hounding me to death, and I cannot see a way out’.”
Ms Abbott said: “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, was just three weeks, but the newspapers printed 249 articles about him.
“This was a vicious campaign but it wasn’t just a campaign against the professor, it was a campaign against all of us and that’s why it is so important to come together and fight for justice for Professor Jason Arday.”
His family said that they hoped the academic would be “remembered for the wonderful person he was and all that he achieved.
“A selfless and gentle soul, he tirelessly uplifted others through his words and actions,” they continued. “His achievements were great and we do not want misrepresentations about his character to overshadow them.”
They asked that people honour him “with peace, respect and grace. “
“As we move forward, we ask that people honour Jason in the way he would have wanted: with peace, respect and grace. We trust people to act in that spirit and to be mindful of local permissions which may be required for public events.
“We hope people will understand that, as a small and grieving family, we are not able to review or lend our endorsement to events organised by others.”
The University of Cambridge’s chancellor condemned the “racist feeding frenzy” around the professor, as he told the BBC: “I do believe it is possible to hold to two principles at the same time: to believe in the importance of academic integrity, and where criticisms of plagiarism arise, about any academic, whoever they are, ensure that they are rigorously investigated.
“And also to refuse to join in a racist feeding frenzy over a particular academic.”
More than 90,000 people, including Ms Abbott, Green Party leader Zack Polanski and presenter Jameela Jamil, have signed a Good Law Project petition seeking an inquiry into coverage of Prof Arday, which says his death followed “two weeks of relentless harassment”.
In addition, Sir Patrick Vernon, who played a leading role in the successful campaign to establish a national Windrush Day, set up a GoFundMe crowdfunding page, which has collected more than £170,000 in donations.
Downing Street has declined to say “at this stage” whether Andy Burnham was considering an inquiry over the death of Jason Arday, arguing it was “right for us to let processes conclude” such as an inquest.
