Oriel College at the University of Oxford is facing pressure to withdraw its facilities from an event scheduled for later in November featuring Nathan Cofnas, a blogger and academic who made plagiarism accusations against Jason Arday, a Cambridge professor who died in August after resigning from his position.
Arday had come under significant public scrutiny following Cofnas’s unproven allegations of plagiarism and questions about biographical claims. Cofnas is set to speak at an event titled “An evening with Nathan Cofnas: Is DEI undermining higher education?” organized by Oxon Universities’ Reform Society, a student group established this year to support Reform UK.
Opposition to the event has come from various quarters, including Oxford-based campaign groups, academics, members of the public, and alumni who have signed an open letter asking Oriel to prevent the event from taking place. The signatories contend that hosting Cofnas could foster a hostile and exclusionary environment for students from ethnic minorities and could damage Oriel’s standing as a premier educational institution during its 700th anniversary year. The letter also characterizes Cofnas as someone who has promoted discriminatory ideas through his online writing and suggests his blogging significantly contributed to the scrutiny Arday experienced.
Oriel College responded by reaffirming its commitment to freedom of speech within legal bounds while maintaining its dedication to inclusion and non-discrimination. The college stated that it evaluates student events according to its code of practice and that hosting an event does not constitute endorsement of the speaker’s views. The Reform Society countered that as a registered student organization, constituent colleges have a legal obligation to host their events and emphasized that responsibility for the event lies solely with the society’s committee.
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