A vigil held in London's Trafalgar Square on August 17, 2026, drew more than 30,000 people to honor Jason Arday, the former Cambridge University professor who died last week. His family, through a statement read by Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy, said the 'public cruelty' he endured 'was too much for any man to bear'.
Family's Statement and Call for Remembrance
The statement, delivered by Ribeiro-Addy, highlighted the profound impact Arday had on people over the past 72 hours. 'A selfless and gentle soul, he tirelessly uplifted others through his words and actions,' it read. The family urged that Arday be remembered 'for the wonderful person he was and all that he achieved', and said they did not want 'misrepresentations about his character to overshadow' his achievements.
Speakers Denounce 'Vicious Campaign'
Speakers at the vigil included MPs Diane Abbott and Dawn Butler, crossbench peer Lord Woolley, and Jo Maugham, director of the Good Law Project. Lord Woolley, a friend of Arday's, described the criticism as a 'public execution' and a 'lynching', drawing cheers from the crowd. He recounted a dinner with Abbott and activist Misan Harriman last week, where Arday said, 'They're hounding me to death'. Woolley added, 'We held him in our arms. We told him he was loved. He held Diane's hands, and he said, "I love you, but", he said, "they're hounding me to death, and I cannot see a way out"'.
Abbott characterized the campaign against Arday as 'vicious' and 'bitter', driven by those who did not believe a Black man should be a Cambridge professor. She noted that from his resignation to his death, only three weeks passed, yet 'the newspapers printed 249 articles about him'. She said, 'This was a vicious campaign but it wasn't just a campaign against the professor, it was a campaign against all of us'.
Public Response and Calls for Justice
Attendees, many dressed in black and holding flowers, displayed signs reading 'Rest in power Jason Arday' and called for 'justice'. One sign referenced '249 articles in 22 days', a figure attributed to analysis by NewsCord, an AI-based media analysis company. More than 90,000 people, including Abbott, Green Party leader Zack Polanski, and presenter Jameela Jamil, have signed a Good Law Project petition seeking an inquiry into media coverage of Arday, which claims his death followed 'two weeks of relentless harassment'.
Sir Patrick Vernon, who led the campaign for a national Windrush Day, set up a GoFundMe page that has raised over £170,000 in donations. Flowers were laid at the foot of Nelson's Column as the vigil concluded.
Family's Final Appeal
In their statement, the family concluded, 'The outpouring of love, support and grief since his death mean so much to us. Although it is bittersweet, now kindness is needed in life, not just in death. We'll never know what might have been different had he experienced more of it while he was still here.'
