00:00Hundreds of people congregated on the steps of Trafalgar Square this evening
00:03to pay respects to Cambridge Professor Jason Arday,
00:06who was pronounced dead at an address in Battersea, South London, on Friday.
00:10You can see the vigil, which was organised by Stand Up To Racism, here behind me,
00:14as Londoners travelled from all across the city to celebrate and remember Professor Jason Arday's life.
00:21Placards read,
00:22Rest in Power, Professor Jason Arday,
00:24while a mural of his face adorns the front of the stage
00:27where his family, friends and colleagues addressed the mournful crowd.
00:30These attendees told me what Jason meant to them.
00:33Absolutely devastating when I heard about his death.
00:37There's so much hatred. He spoke about love in community.
00:41Really, what is that saying about humanity and what we as individuals can do?
00:45And I've come out in support of humanity, really, more than anything else.
00:48I just hate bullying. We've full stop. It's bullying. That's what it is.
00:51And they're always looking to try and make somebody weak and bully.
00:56You know, I felt cried that there was a young black professor at Cambridge,
01:02and therefore it's something to be celebrated.
01:05He has made it. When many people didn't believe in him, he made it, and he made it to the
01:10top.
01:11And he meant a lot to us.
01:13And you want to show that there are decent people in the world who will stand by
01:18and not accept that tragedy to happen.
01:20He was inspirational to the young black people, young black men who are struggling,
01:26and believe that, look, if he can do it, we too can do it.
01:30You know, we too can do it.
01:31So when we get to the pinnacle, we don't want to be pushed down.
01:35Professor Arday had resigned from his post as the Professor of Sociology of Education
01:40at the University of Cambridge last week, after allegations of plagiarism were made against him.
01:45The university's launched an investigation into his appointments and his tenure at the university.
01:51The 41-year-old, who became Cambridge's youngest black professor in 2023,
01:56denied the claims while admitting some errors in his work.
01:59Critics say the treatment of Professor Arday has been motivated by racism.
02:04In a statement, his family said Jason was subjected to a campaign of sustained abuse
02:09by those who would leave no stone unturned in their quest to undermine him.
02:14The campaign of misinformation was too much for Jason,
02:17who was a gentle man and who always wanted to see the best in everyone.
02:21Prime Minister Andy Burnham was one of the many who paid his respects to the Clapham-born academic.
02:27It's a tragedy. It's a tragedy on so many levels.
02:31It's not a moment for any rushing to judgment.
02:34It's a moment for reflection, I would say, reflecting on how things came to this.
02:39Jason's former students have created a website where people can leave their testimonies to the late professor.
02:45And nearly £200,000 has now been raised for his family after Windrush campaigner Sir Patrick Vernon launched a fundraiser
02:53in his memory.
02:54Sir Patrick said Britain still cares.
02:56People, black, white, brown, care and feel angry about this situation.
03:01Though the feeling here is one of sorrow and anger, the crowd united in celebrating the life and influence of
03:08Professor Jason Arde.
03:09If you need support, Samaritans can be contacted for free 24-7 on 116 123 by emailing joe at samaritans
03:18.org
03:19or by visiting www.samaritans.org.
03:31www.samaritans.org
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