Nathan Cofnas said on Thursday that Ghent University suspended him and put him under investigation for discrimination. He posted on X, “I was just suspended by Ghent University.”
A few hours earlier, he wrote that he was “under investigation by my university for discriminating against Arday”. In the same post, he added, “They will almost certainly fire me.”
Ghent University and Cofnas
Ghent University said it suspended Cofnas “as a precautionary measure” while a preliminary disciplinary investigation runs. The university also said it could not comment further “to safeguard the confidentiality of the personnel file and the disciplinary proceedings.”
The action turns Cofnas’ public dispute into an employment matter inside the university system. He had already drawn attention after writing on his Substack page on July 21 that he had been contacted by a source at Cambridge University about accusations of plagiarism concerning Jason Arday.
Jason Arday allegations
Arday denied the plagiarism allegation but acknowledged making mistakes. Last Friday, he was found dead in London at age 41, days after resigning from his post.
On Monday, thousands attended a vigil in central London to commemorate him. Andy Burnham described Arday’s death as a tragedy on so many levels.
Cofnas also said he is not a racist and is in legal dispute with Emmanuel College, after Cambridge University’s Emmanuel College ended its association with him over his blog posts. The discrimination investigation now places that dispute under a formal university process, with Cofnas’ job status tied to the outcome of the disciplinary review.
The open question is the one Ghent University has not addressed: what specific conduct led it to open a discrimination investigation against Cofnas.
