Ghent University suspends researcher who accused Jason Arday of plagiarism

Ghent University has barred researcher Nathan Cofnas from teaching for three months and ordered him to work remotely, following his suspension and a preliminary disciplinary investigation into plagiarism accusations he made against the late Cambridge academic Jason Arday Source: infobae. The university stated that Cofnas's research activities must be "limited strictly to the research topics for which he was hired" Source: infobae.

The case

Arday, 41, was found dead at his London home on August 14, with police ruling out a crime Source: diariolibree. A London court opened an inquest into his death on August 26 Source: diariolibree. Arday had resigned from Cambridge and Jesus College on August 5, amid investigations into plagiarism allegations and claims he benefited from diversity policies Source: diariolibree. He denied the accusations, calling them rooted in a racist agenda Source: diariolibree.

Reactions

Cofnas, who had previously made controversial statements about Black people's intellectual capacity, published an article in July accusing Arday of plagiarism Source: infobae. He said on social media: "Almost certainly I will be fired. The decision was made by rector Petra De Sutter, a former Green Party leader" Source: infobae. About 800 academics signed an open letter calling the disciplinary process a reprisal and urging Ghent to protect Cofnas Source: infobae.

Broader context

Conservative media framed Arday as an example of "wokism" in universities, while supporters argued he faced unfair scrutiny as a Black professor Source: infobae. The case has sparked debate about academic integrity, diversity policies, and media exposure Source: emolcl.