🔗 Share this article

The future president of the Oxford Union has been removed from his position after failing a vote of confidence that followed his disputed online comments about the conservative activist.

The motion against the student leader achieved the required super-majority to oust him from his position, according to an announcement from the society.

Disputed Comments

The controversy erupted after Mr Abaraonye reportedly posted messages on online platforms that seemed to celebrate the killing of Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot while speaking at a college 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 student leader is also said to have posted in a messaging group with fellow students appearing to welcome the incident.

Vote Outcome

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

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

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

Election Controversies

Voting operations were informally suspended early on the previous day after the election official was allegedly subjected to "obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility" from several representatives.

In a response, Mr Abaraonye asserted that the count had been stopped because election administrators believed "no valid outcome could be reached as a result of procedural failures".

His response unequivocally denied that any person acting for George had participated in intimidating or disruptive behavior.

Continuing Controversy

The president-elect stated that significant concerns had been submitted to the governing body and that he remained the elected leader.

His comment added that George was "grateful and honored to have the backing of significantly more than half of university members" who voted to have a "safe election and oppose efforts to undermine the electoral process".

Opponents have said that any decision to keep him would "demonstrate internationally 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 society on a related program podcast.

The message accused the society of becoming a institution where "student leaders publicly celebrate the killing of a political opponent".

The statement indicated that if Mr Abaraonye were to keep his position, supporters would "directly reach out to every American political speaker who has ever spoken at the society and urge them never again to lend their name".

The Oxford Union had previously condemned Mr Abaraonye's remarks after Kirk's death and stated that complaints filed against him had been referred for official review.

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