Student Society Future Leader Removed Following Charlie Kirk Comments

Oxford Union debate
Charlie Kirk and George Abaraonye participated in a discussion at the Oxford Union in May

The president-elect of the prestigious debating society has been removed from his position after failing a vote of confidence that followed his controversial online comments about Charlie Kirk.

The vote against George Abaraonye achieved the required super-majority to remove him from office, according to an announcement from the organization.

Disputed Comments

The dispute erupted after Mr Abaraonye reportedly shared messages on social media that seemed to welcome the killing of Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead while speaking at a college in the United States.

According to reports, one social media message reportedly stated "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an extended form of the acronym for 'laughing out loud'.

The student leader is also reported to have posted in a WhatsApp chat with fellow students seeming to welcome the incident.

Vote Outcome

The vote of confidence was conducted over the weekend, with outcomes revealed on Tuesday.

Official notices showed that over twelve hundred votes were cast in favor of removal, while 501 were opposed the motion.

The announcement stated that the president-elect was deemed to have resigned in accordance with the Oxford Union's rules.

Oxford Union announcement
The student society announced the outcome of the no-confidence vote on this week

Procedural Disputes

Voting operations were temporarily halted early on Monday after the election official was reportedly subjected to "interference, threats, and inappropriate behavior" from multiple individuals.

In a response, the student asserted that the vote tally had been stopped because electoral officials believed "no legitimate and true result could be reached as a result of process errors".

His response unequivocally denied that any representative acting for George had participated in threatening or obstructive conduct.

Ongoing Dispute

The president-elect stated that extremely serious issues had been referred to the governing body and that he continued as president-elect.

His comment added that he was "proud and thankful to have the backing of well in excess of a majority of students at Oxford" who voted to have a "safe election and resist attempts to subvert democracy".

Opponents have said that any failure to remove him would "signal to the world that the society has prioritized politics over principles".

Charlie Kirk speaking
Charlie Kirk was shot dead while addressing a college in September

External Reactions

On Friday, Mikey McCoy read out an public message to the society on The Charlie Kirk Show podcast.

The letter criticized the society of becoming a institution where "presidents of the union openly applaud the killing of a political opponent".

The communication indicated that if the student were to remain in post, supporters would "directly reach out to every American political speaker who has ever spoken at the society and advise them against future participation".

The Oxford Union had earlier condemned the student's remarks after the activist's killing and stated that complaints filed against him had been forwarded for disciplinary proceedings.

The president-elect had been one of several students to discuss with Kirk at the union in spring.

James Robertson
James Robertson

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