Student Society Future Leader Ousted Following Charlie Kirk Comments
The future president of the prestigious debating society has been ousted from office after losing a vote of confidence that followed his controversial social media posts about Charlie Kirk.
The vote against George Abaraonye reached the necessary two-thirds threshold to oust him from his position, according to an statement from the society.
Contentious Posts
The controversy erupted after Mr Abaraonye reportedly posted messages on social media that appeared to welcome the killing of the American conservative figure, who was shot dead while speaking at a university in the United States.
According to sources, one social media message reportedly read "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an elongated version of the phrase 'lol'.
The president-elect is also said to have written in a messaging group with other members appearing to welcome the incident.
Vote Outcome
The no-confidence motion was conducted over the weekend, with results revealed on Tuesday.
Official notices indicated that over twelve hundred votes were cast supporting no confidence, while just over five hundred were opposed the motion.
The notice confirmed that the president-elect was deemed to have resigned in following the society's regulations.
Election Controversies
Proceedings were temporarily halted early on Monday after the returning officer was reportedly subjected to "obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility" from several representatives.
In a statement, Mr Abaraonye claimed that the vote tally had been stopped because electoral officials believed "no valid outcome could be reached as a result of procedural failures".
His statement unequivocally denied that any representative acting for George had participated in intimidating or disruptive behavior.
Continuing Controversy
The president-elect stated that extremely serious issues had been submitted to the governing body and that he remained president-elect.
His statement added that George was "proud and thankful to have the backing of well in excess of a majority of students at Oxford" who supported a "safe election and oppose efforts to undermine the electoral process".
Critics have argued that any failure to remove him would "signal to the world that the Oxford Union has chosen ideology over integrity".
External Responses
On Friday, Kirk's former chief of staff read out an public message to the Oxford Union on The Charlie Kirk Show podcast.
The message criticized the society of becoming a institution where "student leaders publicly celebrate the assassination of a ideological rival".
The statement warned that if Mr Abaraonye were to remain in post, Kirk's allies would "directly reach out to every American political speaker who has ever spoken at the society and advise them against future participation".
The society had earlier condemned the student's comments after Kirk's death and stated that complaints filed against him had been forwarded for disciplinary proceedings.
The student leader had been one of multiple members to discuss with the activist at the society in spring.