My big fat (real) college wedding p.20
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Jeremy Corbyn on the future of the left p.10
And the rest is drag! p.22
No.936 Friday 3rd October 2025 varsity.co.uk
Uni rescued its Gazan students early
Uni forgives alleged racist don
● Students flown to Ireland in Aug before FCDO announcement ● Both won places in Feb, but blocked by visa rules ● Studying for a year in Dublin, before Cambridge
However, the investigation concluded this would only be the case if Cofnas’ comments were judged to count as harassment or discrimination, which they believed was not the case. The report also claimed that the ideas presented in the blog as a whole were an acceptable expression of academic freedom. Investigators stated that while students “undoubtedly experienced distress and upset after reading the blog,” their complaints focused on “the ideas communicated in the blog with which
Ben Curtis and Charlie Rowan Editors-in-Chief Two Cambridge offer-holders trapped in Gaza were evacuated to safety by the University weeks before the UK government announced any route for Palestinian scholars, after months of behind-thescenes work. Malak Hani and Ahmed Abutabaq crossed into Jordan on 28 August and were flown to Dublin, following direct intervention from senior Cambridge figures and cooperation with the Irish government and Trinity College Dublin (TCD). Although both had secured highly competitive places in February, UK visa rules made it impossible for them to leave Gaza for months. Both are now beginning a year of study at TCD before transferring to Cambridge. Malak’s scholarship to read History and Politics at Downing College has been deferred to 2026, as she begins a foundation year in Dublin, while Ahmed has started an MSc as Cambridge works to enable his postgraduate entry next year at Darwin College. Prof Bhaskar Vira, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education said: “We are delighted that both Malak and Ahmed were evacuated safely out of Gaza and are grateful to our colleagues at Trinity College Dublin who worked tirelessly to facilitate this.
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▴ NATHAN COFNAS / CHANGES MADE
Wilf Vall Associate Editor The University of Cambridge will take no disciplinary action against former fellow Nathan Cofnas, after he was accused of “abhorrent racism” for controversial blog posts last year. An internal investigation into Dr. Cofnas’ comments was launched in 2024, after 58 students made formal complaints accusing the philosophy academic of discrimination against black students. However, the University’s disciplinary body has dismissed all 58 com-
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plaints, claiming that the blog posts did not amount to discrimination or harassment. In the blog – titled “A Guide for the Hereditarian Revolution” – Cofnas claimed that race was linked to academic ability. He went on to argue that under a true meritocracy, black people would “disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment” and that the number of black professors at Harvard would “approach zero”. He also advocated for the preservation of “racial distinctions” in society, stating that there “must be some barriers set up
between races in order for each one to express its own unique genius”. The blog posts sparked a widespread student campaign calling for Cofnas’ firing – including a petition that amassed over 1,200 signatures and a protest outside the philosophy faculty. The University’s investigation considered whether the comments in the blog could have contravened their freedom of speech policies, as complainants alleged they encouraged others to discriminate against black staff and students, and could have created a hostile environment for them on the grounds of race.
Rich colleges raise rents most pg.9 ● Humans of Cambridge pg.15 ● Aeschylus in the trenches pg.25