By Gavin Mackintosh-
Cambridge students have joined a growing campaign demanding that Oxford’s Oriel College reconsider its decision to host academic Nathan Cofnas, in a dispute that has brought racial equality, academic freedom and student welfare into sharp focus.
With nearly 30,000 signatures behind an open letter opposing the invitation, the controversy has developed into a wider debate about what universities should stand for and where the boundaries of free speech should lie.
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The Cambridge Students’ Union (SU) has signed an open letter calling on Oriel College to cancel Cofnas’s invitation to speak or suspend the event until the institution publishes a transparent risk assessment, commissions an independent review and guarantees safeguards for Black students and staff.
The event, organised by the Oxon Universities’ Reform Society (OURS), Oxford’s student-led Reform UK society, is scheduled for Tuesday 17 November at Oriel College’s Harris Lecture Theatre. It is titled An Evening with Nathan Cofnas: Is DEI Undermining Higher Education?
The intervention has raised an obvious question as to why students from Cambridge taking such a strong interest in an event happening at another university, particularly one that is traditionally regarded as its academic rival.
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The answer lies in the fact that this controversy is not simply about an Oxford society choosing a guest speaker. It is closely connected to Cambridge’s own academic community, its recent history and the wider debate about the treatment and representation of Black academics in British higher education.
Cofnas is no stranger to Cambridge, as he previously held an academic position at the university and was a research associate at Emmanuel College. His relationship with the institution became controversial in 2024 following a blog post in which he argued that, under a meritocratic system, the number of Black professors at Harvard would approach zero and that Black people would disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside sport and entertainment.
The university investigated the post and concluded that, although many considered his views offensive, they did not breach the law or the university’s regulations designed to uphold freedom of speech. Emmanuel College subsequently ended his association with the institution.
The dispute has also become particularly sensitive because of Cofnas’s public accusations against Professor Jason Arday, the late Cambridge academic who became the university’s youngest Black professor. In July, Cofnas accused Arday of plagiarism in a Substack article. The allegations subsequently received further media attention, including a report by The Telegraph identifying similarities between passages in Arday’s doctoral thesis and an earlier academic thesis.
These allegations have been disputed , and do not constitute established findings of misconduct. Arday died in August, and the circumstances surrounding his death have made the wider controversy especially sensitive. Campaigners have argued that the public scrutiny surrounding his academic work intensified the pressure on the late professor that led to his death.
Late professor Jason Arday died over allegations of plagiarism
But critics say the former professor caused his own death by taking his life due to the allegations , which they say are true,.Sciemtific publisher s, Taylor and Francis reprtedly cleared Arday of plagiarism, but the publishers are yet to respond to an inquiry from this publication to independently verify this.
Why the Campaign is gaining support
The Cambridge Students’ Union is not acting alone. Other Cambridge organisations, including the university’s African Caribbean Society and Cambridge University Amnesty International society, have also expressed opposition to the invitation or directed students towards the campaign.
Cambridge University Amnesty International condemned the decision to provide Cofnas with a platform, arguing that institutions have a responsibility to challenge structural discrimination. The society maintained that freedom of expression is an essential part of university life but should not be used to dismiss the potential harm caused by discriminatory ideas.
The open letter makes a similar argument, stating that academic freedom does not remove universities’ responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010, including the Public Sector Equality Duty. It calls for an independent examination of the risks posed by the event and safeguards for Black students and staff. The petition, initiated by the Oxford Students’ Coalition Against Racism, has attracted nearly 30,000 signatures, illustrating how the dispute has extended beyond the immediate university communities.
Oriel College has defended its decision to host the event, insisting that it has a legal responsibility to uphold freedom of speech within the law, including the right to express views that many people find deeply offensive. The College has also stressed that permitting a student-organised event does not mean endorsing the speaker’s views. It says it remains committed to inclusion, preventing racial discrimination and protecting the safety of its students and staff.
The controversy has also prompted opposition within Oxford itself. On 12 November, Oxford’s Conference of Common Rooms approved a motion condemning the invitation and calling for greater scrutiny of the event’s risk assessment, additional safeguards and an independent review of the approval process. Thirty-eight student representatives voted in favour, with one college’s postgraduate common room voting against.
Meanwhile, 49 members of Oriel’s Senior Common Room have signed a separate statement distancing themselves from Cofnas’s views, describing his claims about race and intelligence as “racist, abhorrent and without scientific foundation”. They emphasised that freedom of speech also includes the right to challenge controversial arguments through evidence and academic debate.
The Cambridge students’ intervention highlights how a controversy at one university can become a matter of concern for the wider higher education sector. Cambridge and Oxford may be academic rivals, but they share responsibilities towards their students, researchers and the principles underpinning university life.
Cambridge university English student, 19 year old Mark Thompson, told the Eye Of Media: ”The central issue is whether academic freedom can be protected while ensuring that students from ethnic minority backgrounds do not feel that their dignity, achievements or place within higher education are being undermined.’
‘It seems difficult to imagine a good argument justifying why a university would give a platform to a man who openly declares his views that white people are intellectually superior to black people, unless the university support’s his doctrine wholeheartedly. Why would they not take a stand against it?, he asked. It’s almost like a university giving a platform to an established antisemite to give a speech attempting to justify negative action or perception against jews. Nobody would tolerate that”.
The Cofnas controversy goes beyond one invitation or one lecture. It exposes a difficult question facing British universities. Which is how can institutions protect the right to express unpopular views while maintaining an environment in which students and academics from all backgrounds feel respected and safe?
With the event scheduled for 17 November, Cambridge students have made clear that they consider the issue important enough to speak out, even when the controversy is unfolding hundreds of miles away from their own university.
Oxford University was contacted for comment.
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