LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP)—Thousands of people gathered in central London late Monday to hold a vigil for black academic Jason Arday, blaming racism and relentless media pressure for his death last week.

The vigil in central Trafalgar Square came as the head of Cambridge university Monday condemned a “racist feeding frenzy” prompted by plagiarism claims against Arday.

Arday, who became Cambridge’s youngest-ever black professor when he was appointed in 2023, was found dead Friday aged 41, after mounting accusations he had plagiarised parts of his doctoral thesis and exaggerated some of his personal life achievements.