Ghent professors challenged expertise of Jason Arday’s plagiarism accuser

Nathan Cofnas, the academic who accused Jason Arday of plagiarism, has been accused of having “very limited expertise” for his academic role by professors also working at Ghent-university" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="119540" data-entity-type="organization">Ghent University, who say he has a “far-right agenda”.Cofnas secured a postdoctoral research role “on the future of liberalism” at Belgium’s Ghent-university" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="119540" data-entity-type="organization">Ghent University in March. Weeks later, Ghent’s department of philosophy and moral sciences handed a 19-page statement to university officials, setting out why it believed it was “improbable” that Cofnas was the best candidate.Jason Arday, the University of Cambridge sociology professor, was found dead on 14 August after weeks of intense media scrutiny of his professional and personal achievements following Cofnas’s allegations against him of plagiarism, which have not been formally proven.Allegations that Cofnas was not qualified for his research role and would cause a “negative impact” by promoting racial pseudoscience were made to university leaders months before Arday died, the Guardian understands.A photograph of Jason Arday amid floral tributes outside Senate House in Cambridge. Photograph: Chris Radburn/AFP/GettyCofnas’s online activity promotes pseudoscientific ideas of racial difference between Jews and non-Jews and Black and white people. In 2023 he wrote on X: “There are obviously personality differences between Jews and non-Jews … On average, Jews are better than gentiles at capitalising on their [general intelligence].”In a statement sent to the university’s rector on 28 May, Ghent’s philosophy department said: “We find it very improbable that Nathan Cofnas was the best out of 14 candidates … We observe only very limited expertise regarding the subjects that are central to the project: political philosophy, liberalism and demography.“The formulated requirement in the job posting of a ‘strong research interest in liberalism’ is not borne out by Cofnas’ publication record or the rest of his CV.”Academics alleged there had been a lack of transparency around the appointment of Cofnas and that “a large majority” suspected he had been “an ideological choice … decided in advance”.In the statement to Ghent’s rector and the faculty dean, which the philosophy department’s council approved as its “official position” on 27 May, academics said: “Cofnas himself has never conducted research on intelligence, nor is such research envisaged within the project for which he was hired.”They added: “The views he disseminates [in blogposts] are not based on his own scientific research … [and] simply not based on sound research.”The statement followed an email sent in March to university leaders and governors, signed by 48 department staff, 73 students and 367 academics from Ghent and other universities expressing “astonishment and indignation” at Cofnas’s appointment.A spokesperson from Ghent-university" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="119540" data-entity-type="organization">Ghent University said they did not comment on “the specific details of the disciplinary case or the underlying arguments”.Last week, the university said it had suspended Cofnas pending a “preliminary investigation”. The university did not say whether the suspension was over allegations related to Cofnas’s appointment. In a joint statement confirming the suspension, Ghent’s rector, Petra De Sutter, and vice-rector, Herwig Reynaert, said: “We attach great importance to academic freedom and to open academic debate, even when views are controversial. However, that freedom is not unlimited.“It goes hand in hand with responsibility and may be restricted in order to protect the rights of others. The university takes the recent public statements made by a postdoctoral researcher at Ghent-university" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="119540" data-entity-type="organization">Ghent University regarding this matter very seriously. Ghent-university" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="119540" data-entity-type="organization">Ghent University has decided to take appropriate action within its powers and the applicable framework.”In an April 2023 Substack post titled “How to take back academia”, Cofnas outlined ways to “remove” academics he described as “wokesters” by “showing that they don’t satisfy minimal criteria”.In response to allegations of plagiarism, Arday, whose treatment has been described as a “racist feeding frenzy”, admitted “mistakes”, but said he had faced unacceptable cruelty.A source said: “Jason was the most gentle, generous, encouraging person. He wanted to bring communities into the academic space. He was working constantly for others.”More than £224,000 has been raised for a fund set up by the cultural historian Sir Patrick Vernon to help support Arday’s grieving family. In a statement they said they were “deeply moved”, adding: “The response to this appeal reflects the number of people whose lives were touched by our beloved Jason and the affection, respect and admiration in which he was held.”Responding to the allegations over his appointment, Cofnas said: “My academic qualifications are a matter of public record.”He added: “The silliest accusation is that I am ‘uninterested in the academic exchange of ideas’. The people who said this are trying to get me fired or even thrown in jail for expressing my ideas.”