A FUNDRAISER launched by a prominent Windrush campaigner for Professor Jason Arday’s family has surpassed £130,000.
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.
The professor's family hit out at the “campaign of sustained abuse” directed at Arday before his death last week, saying that those against him left “no stone unturned in their quest to undermine him”.
They added that Arday was a “gentle man and who always wanted to see the best in everyone”.
On Saturday, 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” with how Arday was treated.
“Britain still cares – people, black, white, brown, care and feel angry about the situation,” Vernon said.
“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.”
Vernon was one of several public figures, including the Green Party leader in England and Wales, Zack Polanski, 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.”
Vernon said the treatment of Prof Arday raises questions around press regulation, the University of Cambridge, and “the state of race relations in Britain today”.
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.
Vernon 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, Vernon 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.”
Arday’s family released a statement at the weekend which read: “Jason was subjected to a campaign of sustained abuse for more than three years since he accepted the role of professor at Cambridge University by those who would leave no stone unturned in their quest to undermine him.
“The campaign of misinformation was too much for Jason, who was a gentle man and who always wanted to see the best in everyone.
“We are in shock to have lost this amazing father, partner, brother, uncle and son.
“We won’t comment further at this point beyond asking the press to leave us alone now, and to stop the campaign of harassment which has been waged against Jason and his family for too long.”
