Ten UCL Academics number amongst the 955 signatories of an open letter condemning Cofnas’ suspension.
Controversial researcher and ‘anti-woke’ blogger Nathan Cofnas has been suspended from his position as a postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University due to his involvement in the Arday affair, a move which has provoked substantial criticism on the grounds that this violates academic freedom.
Cambridge’s youngest black professor, Jason Arday, was found dead on 14 August after a media storm surrounding Cofnas’ substantial accusations of plagiarism and fabulation of hardships (such as Arday’s illiteracy before the age of 18).
The university has received an open letter with 955 signatories, mostly from academics worldwide, including 10 from UCL, asserting that, “an essential component of academic freedom is the ability to scrutinize the scholarship of other academics” and urging the university to, “protect Dr Cofnas from being punished for exercising his academic freedom”.
Included amongst the signatories is Dr Phillip Cunliffe: International Relations specialist, founding member of the London Universities’ Council for Academic Freedom, and ‘Anglofuturist’ who described pro-Gaza Muslim MPs as ‘cousin shaggers’.
He is joined by the University’s academics, Professor David Curtis of the UCL Genetics Institute, Professor Alan Sokal, Dr Liam Wright, Dr Christine A. Hemmingway, Dr Alex Standish, Dr Neo Christodoulides, Michelle Shipworth, and Jemima Unwin Teji. A member of the student body, who is affiliated with UCL Libertarian Society, has also signed the letter.
Ghent University administration has responded to this criticism with a statement saying that whilst they, “attach great importance to academic freedom and to open academic debate… that freedom is not unlimited… and may be restricted in order to protect the rights of others”.
Indeed, previous controversies suggest that Cofnas’ article exposing Arday may not have had innocent motivations.
Cofnas is a self-described “race-realist” who was let go from Emmanuel College Cambridge in 2024 after blog posts which called for “the preservation of racial distinctions” and claimed that, in a meritocracy, “blacks would disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment”.
Before the Arday incident even began, Ghent University faced substantial scrutiny over the Cofnas appointment due largely to the fact that many theories he champions have historically been used to justify eugenics.
Whilst the letter makes clear that its support for Cofnas is in relation to his perceived unfair punishment, some may argue that, due to the university’s eugenics legacy, UCL academics should be particularly wary of seeming to endorse Cofnas’ views.
When approached for comment, a UCL spokesperson referred to the following statement released by the Provost Michael Spence and Pro-Provost (Equity and Inclusion) Professor Alison Koslowski:
"We know that many in our community will have been deeply saddened by the death of Professor Jason Arday on Friday. We are especially mindful of those colleagues who knew Jason personally. Our thoughts are with you, Jason’s family and all those who cared about him or were inspired by him.
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At times like this, it is important that we pause and acknowledge the emotional impact on our community. Please check in with each other and create space for honest conversations. We need to come together and approach one another with compassion, care and understanding, ensuring that no one feels they are carrying challenging thoughts alone.
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We must continue to challenge ourselves to do better, to learn, to listen and to act. That means strengthening our understanding of race equity and neurodiversity, examining where our systems and cultures may fall short, and ensuring that inclusion, wellbeing and belonging remain central to how we work and lead.
We recognise that rigour, fairness and inclusion are not in tension with one another; they are mutually reinforcing foundations of academic success."