Oxford Union President-Elect Removed Following Charlie Kirk Posts

Student society event
Charlie Kirk and George Abaraonye took part in a discussion at the Oxford Union in spring

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

The motion against George Abaraonye reached the required two-thirds threshold to remove him from office, according to an statement from the organization.

Contentious Posts

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

According to reports, one social media message reportedly read "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an extended form of the phrase 'lol'.

The president-elect is also said to have posted in a WhatsApp chat with other members seeming to welcome the incident.

Election Results

The vote of confidence was conducted over the recent days, with outcomes revealed on this week.

Society announcements showed that over twelve hundred votes were cast in favor of no confidence, while just over five hundred were opposed the motion.

The announcement confirmed that the president-elect was considered to have stepped down in accordance with the society's regulations.

Oxford Union announcement
The Oxford Union shared the outcome of the confidence motion on this week

Procedural Disputes

Proceedings were temporarily halted early on the previous day after the election official was reportedly subjected to "interference, threats, and inappropriate behavior" from several representatives.

In a response, the student asserted that the count had been halted because electoral officials believed "no valid outcome could be reached as a result of process errors".

His statement categorically refuted that any representative appointed by George had participated in intimidating or disruptive behavior.

Ongoing Dispute

The student maintained that extremely serious issues had been submitted to the disciplinary committee and that he continued as the elected leader.

His statement added that George was "grateful and honored 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".

Critics have argued that any failure to remove him would "demonstrate internationally that the society has chosen ideology over integrity".

Conservative activist
The conservative activist was shot dead while addressing a university in September

External Responses

On recently, Kirk's former chief of staff read out an open letter to the Oxford Union on a related program broadcast.

The letter criticized the union of becoming a institution where "student leaders publicly celebrate the killing of a political opponent".

The communication warned that if Mr Abaraonye were to keep his position, supporters would "directly reach out to every U.S. political figure who has ever graced the union's chamber and urge them never again to lend their name".

The society had previously criticized Mr Abaraonye's comments after the activist's killing and stated that complaints submitted about him had been referred for official review.

The president-elect had been one of multiple members to discuss with Kirk at the union in May.

Cynthia Brewer
Cynthia Brewer

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