Neema Parvini, a right-wing content creator, has withdrawn from speaking at an Oxon University Reform Society (OURS) event later this term after learning of the society’s invitation to Nathan Cofnas, Cherwell understands.
Through his YouTube channel Academic Agent, Parvini discusses political theories on the ‘rule of elites’ and right-wing commentary. He was due to speak at the society in November on “the need to tune out hyperreal culture wars and partisan politics”. After being informed of OURS’s controversial invitation to Cofnas, Cherwell understands he pulled out of the talk “to make good on [his] commitment to this principle.”
OURS announced in their term card that Nathan Cofnas would speak at an event discussing Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion’s impact on higher education later this term at Oriel College.
The invitation has produced online backlash since its announcement. Oxfordshire Stand Up To Racism have organised a “far right off campus” protest in Oriel Square for the event. Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy has posted on X: “Barely two months ago, we lost Professor Jason Arday. Institutions across higher education spoke about inclusion and belonging. Now Nathan Cofnas is being given a room at Oriel College, Oxford, to ask whether DEI is undermining education.”
Cofnas was responsible for publicising allegations that the late Cambridge professor Jason Arday had plagiarised his doctoral thesis. The accusations began weeks of intense media scrutiny that resulted in the professor’s resignation. Liverpool John Moores University, the institution that awarded Arday’s doctorate, investigated the accusations and concluded that the doctorate should stand.
Following Arday’s death, Cofnas was suspended from his role as postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University after concerns were raised that he created a hostile environment for students and staff. His suspension has since been replaced with a three-month measure barring him from teaching, requiring him to work remotely, and requiring his research to focus exclusively on the topics of his appointment. Over 17 academics affiliated with the University of Oxford signed an open letter opposing Cofnas’s suspension. The investigation into Cofnas’s behaviour is still ongoing.
Professional and student concerns surrounding Cofnas’s self-described “race-realist” beliefs were raised prior to his allegations against Arday. He faced student backlash at Ghent University, with 2,000 students signing a petition opposing his appointment earlier this year. He was also dismissed from the University of Cambridge after a blog post that reportedly amounted to a “rejection of diversity, equality, and inclusion”. The post includes the claim that, in a meritocracy, “Blacks would disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment”.
Parvini has faced similar controversy over his far-right views. The University of Surrey suspended him from his teaching role in relation to his far-right activism. According to HopeNotHate, an anti-far-right activist group, his posts on X include statements that Black and white people are a “different species” and that Black people “are closer to homo erectus.”
Oriel College have stated that it is their policy to permit events booked by students who are committee members of registered societies but that “permission does not imply endorsement by the College”.
In response to an earlier comment request about the invitation of Cofnas, OURS directed the paper to a statement published on Instagram. In the statement, OURS said they were “committed to broadening participation in University life by removing systemic barriers for marginalised voices”. They added that: “Nathan Cofnas has been repeatedly victimised with stigmatising language and structural apartheid by those with institutional power and privilege”. Recently, the society shared a post by Cofnas saying that Stand Up To Racism’s planned protest was a “predictable response by the epistemic oppressors”.
 event later this term after learning of the society’s invitation to Nathan Cofnas, Cherwell understands.){kind=link}