Jason Arday's family 'still coming to terms' with his death as vigil held

The family of Jason Arday have said they are "still coming to terms" with his death in a statement shared at a vigil for the professor in Trafalgar Square.

Arday, who became Cambridge University's youngest black professor when appointed in 2023, had faced weeks of media coverage over plagiarism allegations and questions about his achievements. He denied the claims.

In a statement read by Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy on behalf of Arday's family, they said "the public cruelty Jason was subjected to was too much for any man to bear".

The central London vigil was organised by the group Stand Up to Racism, and several speakers paying tribute to Arday complained about his treatment by the media.

In their statement, his family said: "What has become clear over the past 72 hours is the profound impact he had on people".

They said they wished for him to 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. His achievements were great and we do not want misrepresentations about his character to overshadow them," they added.

Vigil organisers had asked people to wear black if possible, and to bring flowers. Many in the crowd of 2,000 or more did that even though the event had been organised at short notice. The mood in Trafalgar Square was sombre, with an underlying anger. The focus of the fury was the media.

The vigil's speakers included Labour MP Diane Abbott, who said Arday had been subject to a "vicious and bitter media campaign" which she attributed to "people who didn't believe a black man should be a Cambridge professor".

"He must have felt that if he resigned, the attacks on him would stop. But in fact, they got even worse.

Lord Simon Woolley, principal of Homerton College at the University of Cambridge, told the vigil that when he met with Arday last week, the academic told him he felt that critics were "hounding me to death".

Filmmaker and activist Misan Harriman told the vigil: "The legacy media crossed every line in the treatment of Jason.

"Imagine being so lost in the business of cruelty that you relish hurting another human for sport, with your own poison pen."

Arday, 41, was found dead at an address in south London, on 14 August, two days after Cambridge said it would investigate the circumstances around his appointment.