US Condemns Ghent University Over Suspension of American Scholar Who Publicly Accused the Late Professor Arday of Plagiarism

The US has condemned a Belgian university’s suspension of an American scholar who publicly accused late Cambridge professor Jason Arday of plagiarism, with Washington saying Friday it is reviewing its relationships with Ghent University.

“The United States Mission to Belgium condemns, in the strongest terms, Ghent University’s retaliation against an American scholar following his accurate whistleblower reporting on academic fraud,” US Ambassador to Belgium Bill White said Friday on US social media company X, referring to controversial scholar Nate Cofnas.

“The United States government regularly funds and supports research, academic exchanges, and other engagements with overseas universities,” White added.

He said institutions that engage in or reward what he called “scapegoating mob behavior” are not desirable partners for the US.

“We are therefore reviewing any relationships we have with Ghent University.”

He also defended Cofnas’ academic freedom, saying controversial views are protected by freedom of speech and that the scholar’s views were known to Ghent University when he was hired.

White rejected attempts to make the dispute about the content of Cofnas’ work, saying the issue was instead about free speech and reporting academic dishonesty.

“The ultimate purpose of freedom of speech is to overturn lies, fraud, and false ideologies,” he said.

Arday, 41, rose to prominence after becoming the University of Cambridge’s youngest Black professor in 2023. The son of Ghanaian immigrants, Arday grew up in a working-class family in south London. His career came under intense scrutiny in July after allegations of plagiarism emerged alongside questions about elements of his academic record and personal story.

Arday resigned from Cambridge on Aug. 5, and a week later, the university said it would investigate his appointment. Two days later, on Aug. 14, Arday was found dead at his home in south London. Police said his death was being treated as unexpected but was not believed to be suspicious.

Cofnas, a self-defined “race realist,” argued in a 2024 blog post that Black people have lower average intelligence than white people and that in a meritocracy there would be “close to zero” Black professors at Harvard University.

In a Thursday statement, Ghent University said that it had launched a “preliminary disciplinary investigation” against a postdoctoral researcher, though without naming Cofnas, and had also suspended him “as a precautionary measure.”

Credit: www.aa.com