31,000 sign petition for public inquiry into Jason Arday death

More than 31,000 people, including several MPs, have signed a petition calling for a public inquiry into alleged media harassment of Cambridge academic Jason Arday, campaign organisers said Sunday. The petition was launched by activist group Good Law Project, which had supported Arday after he resigned from the University of Cambridge and Jesus College earlier this month.

Arday, 41, became Cambridge's youngest Black professor in 2023. He resigned on August 5 after the university investigated allegations of plagiarism and questions about his life and achievements. Good Law Project alleged his death was the result of sustained press harassment and that racism played a role in the scrutiny, claims not independently established. Arday denied plagiarism but acknowledged mistakes in his doctoral work.

The controversy began after academic Nathan Cofnas alleged in July that Arday's work contained plagiarism. British media reported over 100 passages in his 2015 thesis were identical or similar to earlier work. Scrutiny later expanded to his personal history, including claims about fundraising. Arday was found dead in south London on Friday, police said the death was unexpected but not suspicious. The petition seeks a public inquiry into the media coverage.