The vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge was heckled as she was seen in public for the first time since the death of former professor Jason Arday.

Prof Deborah Prentice attended a vigil organised by the campaign group Stand Up to Racism in Cambridge city centre on Monday evening.

Shouting from a signpost in the city's market square, one attendee called Prentice "shameful" for failing to attend another event organised by Arday's students on Sunday.

Prentice previously said the university was "deeply saddened" by the academic's death.

Arday, 41, was found dead at an address in Battersea, south London, on Friday afternoon.

He resigned from his role at the university earlier this month after facing allegations of plagiarism. He had denied the claims and, in one case, had been cleared.

Asked about the heckling at the vigil, Cambridge University said: "The vice-chancellor attended the vigil to pay her respects.

"She understands that this is a very difficult time for many people. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Jason's family and loved ones, who have lost a father, partner, brother, uncle and son."

Arday's death sparked a debate over whether the media scrutiny was excessive or justified by his prominence.

Anger at the level of media coverage he had been subjected to was felt by many of the people who spoke to the BBC at the rally.

Addressing a crowd, Melanie Benedict, undergraduate president of Cambridge's students' union, said Arday had faced "disproportionate public scrutiny" which "would've been unbearable for anyone".

"The systemic issues that academics of colour have to face year on year have been highlighted by the tragedy of Jason's public treatment and subsequent death," they said.

Reflecting on the press coverage, the National Education Union's Cambridgeshire secretary Abby Maddison said: "It doesn't feel right, what has been happening to him."

Milli Akehurst, whose son studies law at Cambridge, said: "It really saddens me the fact that as a black mother who has a son that comes here… to see this happening is just heartbreaking.

"I think racism played a big part in [what happened to Arday]. He was cleared [of plagiarism], so why did it continue, and why were there so many articles within the last month or few weeks?"

Tachya Brobbey said she had been "very moved and very upset" that Arday had been "so trodden into the ground by the media".

"Clearly there was a disproportionate focus on him. We know there are others where there have been allegations that haven't had that amount of attention.

"Equally, I can see parallels with people like Caroline Flack where the media go for someone and destroy them. I think there are lots of layers to this but, yes, racism is a feature of it and it would be naive to think it wasn't."

Shareena Howley, who had met Arday, said: "He was gentle, he was intelligent, maybe he did make some mistakes but did he really deserve that? Did he really deserve to be hounded to death?"

"He was about empowerment. He didn't shut the doors behind him, he said 'here's the ladder, I will pull you up'," she said, holding back tears.

The 54-year-old said there had been other Cambridge professors who had faced similar accusations: "Where was the press then?"

The plagiarism row began after another academic - self-defined "race realist" Nathan Cofnas, who was sacked from his Cambridge role in 2024 - said he had found numerous instances of plagiarism in the professor's work.

Cofnas's post had been terminated after a backlash to his view that under a true meritocracy black people would "disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment".

Cambridge had celebrated Arday's appointment as a young black professor, one of a tiny and visible minority in academia. Only 1% of professors in UK universities are black, making each appointment hugely significant.

The university's chancellor Lord Smith criticised the "racist feeding frenzy" around Arday.

Sir James Cleverly said he was angry about what happened to Arday, and the university establishment - not just Cambridge - should have "done the robust due diligence and checking that should happen with any senior academic appointment".

The shadow housing secretary said he felt Arday was used as "bragging rights by some universities".

On 6 August Cambridge announced an independent investigation into Arday's appointment.

It is understood the university does not feel it right to decide on whether to proceed with its investigation.

Stand Up to Racism also organised a vigil in central London on Monday, where several speakers criticised Arday's treatment by the media.

More than 100,000 people have signed a letter to the prime minister calling for a public inquiry into the media coverage surrounding Arday before his death.

Downing Street has since declined to say "at this stage" whether the prime minister was considering an inquiry.

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