Oxford groups urge Oriel College to cancel Reform society talk by Nathan Cofnas

Left · 1Oxford campaign groups, academics, members of the public and alumni have signed an open letter urging Oriel College, University of Oxford, to withdraw its facilities from an event featuring the academic Nathan Cofnas. 1 Left · 1The event, titled “An evening with Nathan Cofnas: Is DEI undermining higher education?”, is due at Oriel's Harris lecture theatre on 17 November. It is organised by Oxon Universities’ Reform Society (OURS), a student group set up this year to support Reform UK. 1 Right · 1GB News reported that the Oxford branch of Stand Up to Racism declared Cofnas “not welcome on campus” and threatened a protest outside Oriel if the talk goes ahead; its open letter called Cofnas's role in the Arday case a “racist witch hunt”. 2

Left · 1The Guardian reported that the signatories say the event “risks creating a hostile and exclusionary environment for students, particularly those of ethnic minorities”. They accuse Cofnas of using a platform to assert discriminatory beliefs and say Cofnas's blogging played a significant role in the coverage Arday faced. 1 Mixed · 2Cofnas, an American philosopher, was the first senior figure to publicly accuse Jason Arday of plagiarism, in a July Substack post alleging that Arday's PhD thesis contained passages lifted with minimal editing. Arday resigned his University of Cambridge professorship amid intense scrutiny, denied plagiarism while accepting some mistakes, and was later found dead. 2 1 Left · 1The Guardian describes the plagiarism accusations as unproven and says Cofnas has been accused of promoting pseudoscientific ideas of racial difference in online writings. Kehinde Andrews, the UK's first professor of Black studies, called the Oriel event “despicable and disgusting”. 1

Right · 1Cofnas told the Telegraph that describing the Arday exposé as a “racist witch hunt” shows the campaigners' “intellectual and moral standards”. Lord Young of Acton, founder of the Free Speech Union, said the right response to profound disagreement is to debate, not silence. 2 Left · 1Oriel College said it is committed to freedom of speech within the law, including views many find deeply offensive, and to an environment free from discrimination. It said permitting an event does not imply endorsement and that it considers security implications and members' safety when handling booking requests. 1 Left · 1OURS said Cofnas and the organisers have faced “a disturbing torrent of online hostility”. It said that as a registered student society, colleges are legally obliged to host its events, and that responsibility for the event rests solely with its committee. 1

Right · 1After Arday's death, Ghent University suspended Cofnas as a postdoctoral researcher pending a preliminary disciplinary investigation; Cofnas received a three-month teaching ban but could continue research. Cofnas claimed the investigation was for “discriminating against Arday”, while the university said it opposed “discrimination, hatred and racism”. 2