Protest planned over Oxford talk by academic who accused Jason Arday of plagiarism
Stand Up to Racism has organised a demonstration against Nathan Cofnas’s appearance at Oriel College, following controversy over his claims about the late professor’s doctoral thesis
A protest has been organised against a talk at an Oxford University college by the academic who accused the late Professor Jason Arday of plagiarism.
Stand Up to Racism has organised a demonstration against Nathan Cofnas’s talk at Oxford University’s Oriel College on November 17.
Mr Cofnas, who has advocated for “race realism”, wrote a blog accusing Prof Arday of plagiarism in his doctoral thesis.
The former Cambridge University academic was found dead at his home in south London earlier this year after he subsequently faced intense scrutiny over accusations of plagiarism in his work and fabrication of his life story.
An inquest is under way into his death in August at the age of 41.
The free talk, organised by Oxford Reform UK, is titled An Evening with Nathan Cofnas: Is DEI Undermining Higher Education?.
A profile on Eventbrite of the talk stated that Mr Cofnas “faced recent controversy after exposing the plagiarism of Jason Arday”.
Mr Cofnas has previously written that black people are less intelligent than other groups and would “disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment” under a meritocratic system.
He was suspended from Ghent University in Belgium in August before being reinstated after pressure by US ambassador Bill White.