Two Warwick Professors sign statement in support of Nathan Cofnas
Professor Saul Jacka and Professor Jane Hutton, of the University of Warwick’s Statistics Department, have signed a document entitled “A statement in support of Nathan Cofnas’s Right to Academic Freedom of Expression”.
The statement, signed by Professors Jacka and Hutton, rejects the firing of Nathan Confas on the grounds of freedom of expression in academia.
The Warwick academics join 179 signatories, who have signed the statement that asserts “while we are not supporting any specific claims Cofnas has made, we believe that academics must be able to put forward controversial or provocative claims without fear of losing their employment.”
Nathan Cofnas, who calls himself a ‘race realist’, was suspended from Ghent University on the 20 August, following his involvement in discussions about Jason Arday’s plagiarism accusations.
In 2023, Arday became Cambridge’s youngest Black professor, which was praised at the time as a progressive moment in academia. He was found dead in his home in Battersea in August, following the publicised plagiarism row and accusations.
we agree that creating space for debate is an essential element of a university
A statement in support of Nathan Cofnas’s Right to Academic Freedom of Expression
In the form of a Substack post, Cofnas claimed that Arday’s doctoral thesis was not original work. Accusing Arday of verbatim copying and paraphrasing from peers, he also refers to Arday as a “DEI star” and claimed that “Jason Arday was hired by Cambridge explicitly to advance the cause of racial diversity”.
Cofnas has previously been a figure of controversy in academia: he had his role at the University of Cambridge terminated in 2024 after claiming that a meritocracy would cause black people to “disappear” from high profile positions.
The statement continues: “we agree that creating space for debate is an essential element of a university, and that space for debate should not be closed unless this is a last resort to prevent a clear threat of lasting substantial harm.”
The University of Warwick, Professor Saul Jacka and Professor Jane Hutton were all approached for comment: the university declined the opportunity, while Professor Jacka stated he had nothing to add to the statement. Professor Hutton has not responded to the comment request.
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