A Windrush campaigner who launched a fundraiser for Professor Jason Arday’s family, which has topped £100,000, said the outpouring of support shows “Britain still cares”.
Fundraiser tops £100,000
Prof Arday, who was found dead on Friday, resigned from his post as professor of sociology of education at the University of Cambridge last week after allegations of plagiarism were made against him.
On Saturday, Sir Patrick Vernon, who played a leading role in the successful campaign to establish a national Windrush Day, set up a GoFundMe crowdfunding page, which has collected thousands of donations.
He told the Press Association the outpouring of support shows that the public “still cares” and feels “angry”.
‘People want to support the family’
Sir Patrick said: “Britain still cares – people, black, white, brown, care and feel angry about the situation.
“People want to support the family. There’s lots of speculation about how much money Jason has or doesn’t have, that’s not the point.
“The fact is, people want to support the family because he’s dead, he’s died, and he has a young family.
“He has parents and he has a family that he has supported, and people want to support the family.”
Support and criticism
Sir Patrick was one of several public figures, including Green Party leader Zack Polanski and crossbench peer Lord Simon Woolley, to sign an open letter supporting Prof Arday as he faced mounting scrutiny from the press.
He told PA: “As someone in the public eye myself, I’ve also been tapped by the media for my campaigns and my views and perspectives.
“Numerous people told the journalists that he was vulnerable… Someone with autism, a neurodiverse background – that was completely ignored, and he was hounded, sadly, to his death. Therefore, this has impacted his family.
“And even now, as we speak, people are still rubbishing Jason, even though he’s dead.
“He’s not been buried yet, but people are still taking shots at him, smearing him now. It’s outrageous.”
Sir Patrick said the treatment of Prof Arday raises questions around press regulation, the University of Cambridge, and “the state of race relations in Britain today”.
University investigation and vigil
Before Prof Arday’s death, the university said it would investigate the circumstances around his “appointment and tenure”, and the findings would feed into a review of the process for appointing senior roles.
It is understood the university does not feel it is right to make a decision on whether to proceed with its investigation while the professor’s family are grieving.
A vigil for the professor, organised by the group Stand Up To Racism, will be held on the steps of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, central London, at 6pm on Monday.
Sir Patrick said the “appalling” way in which Prof Arday was treated reflects the “higher standard” to which black people, and those from minority ethnic backgrounds, are held.
He said: “This applies across different sectors, NHS, local government, civil service, private sector, etc, where black people, and also minority ethnic people, are given a higher standard, a higher burden, when it comes to issues around accountability and when things go wrong.
“What that tells you is that we still have structural racism, we still have inequalities as well, and that’s why a lot of people are feeling angry about this, because it’s quite clear this was completely unjust, the level of scrutiny.”
In a message to Prof Arday’s family, Sir Patrick said: “We care for you, we respect you.
“Here is some money to support you, because you’ve lost someone valuable to you, and no amount of money can ever, ever replace Professor Jason Arday.”
