17th Aug 2026

We come together with you to mourn the tragic and untimely death of Jason Arday, Cambridge University’s youngest professor. Dr Arday was hounded by the white establishment from the beginning of his appointment who, due to his Black and openly Autistic identities,was accused of being a “DEI hire” who did not belong in a role of such esteem and importance.

“Know your place” – in one form or another, racialised people have heard these words time and time again. Autistic people are told they are too strange to belong in “civilised”, neurotypical society – our gifts contained, our mannerisms pathologised, and our voices taken as childish, emotional whining.

But what is our place? Dr Arday was held to an impossible standard of perfection, where alleged academic issues of plagiarism became 249 articles in 22 days, leading to his resignation and death. The allegations continued after he had been cleared by Cambridge earlier this month, and worse, continued after his death. So was he not good enough, or so much better than everyone else that justified this digital lynching? Was he so good that he was the representative for every racialised and Autistic person, something that no white person ever has to experience? The racists tripped over themselves to push him out the door.

Dr Arday asked for peace and a return to normal life in his resignation letter, but it seems vacating his space, title and employment was not enough punishment – the media did not stop until he was gone.

And that is why anti-racism, anti-ableism and intersectional education, advocacy and procedures are so important. For those who experience multiple forms of marginalisation, these issues are literally life and death. Indeed, Professor Arday’s death is now another horrific statistic illustrating that Autistic people without learning disabilities have a mortality rate of 1.71 where 1 in 9 die by suicide die by suicide, with no information on what impact racism has on this.

To all racialised Autistic people – we stand with you to say that your place is wherever you want it to be. Your place should be safe – you deserve adequate protection and better than fair treatment under law according to the Equality Act, PSED and UNCRPD. You deserve full access to your rights for life, dignity and privacy under the Human Rights Act. Under Scotland’s Fair Work Convention, you deserve full protection and safety at work. You deserve intersectional protection and education from all workplaces, Unions and statutory bodies. If these institutions can’t offer this protection, they and a hostile media deserve accountability and persecution, not the individuals. We couldn’t save Dr Arday, but together we can make sure this never happens again.

Your place should be as safe, peaceful and joyful as anyone else’s.

We wish for peace, safety and justice for Dr Arday’s family.

Contacts for mental health support
Shout 85258
SAMH.org.uk
breathingspace.scot
www.mind.org.uk