🔗 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 controversial social media posts about the conservative activist.

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

Disputed Comments

The controversy began after the student reportedly shared 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 sources, one Instagram post reportedly stated "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an elongated version of the phrase 'lol'.

The president-elect is also reported to have posted in a messaging group with other members seeming to express approval of the event.

Vote Outcome

The no-confidence motion took place over the recent days, with results revealed on this week.

Official notices showed that over twelve hundred votes were cast supporting no confidence, while 501 were against the motion.

The announcement confirmed that the president-elect was deemed to have stepped down in following the society's regulations.

Election Controversies

Proceedings were temporarily halted early on Monday after the election official was allegedly subjected to "obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility" from multiple individuals.

In a response, the student claimed that the vote tally had been halted because election administrators believed "no valid outcome could be reached as a result of procedural failures".

His statement unequivocally denied that any representative acting for the student had engaged in intimidating or disruptive behavior.

Ongoing Dispute

The president-elect maintained that significant concerns had been submitted to the disciplinary committee and that he remained the elected leader.

His comment added that he was "grateful and honored to have the backing of significantly more than half of university members" who voted to have a "secure voting process and resist attempts to subvert democracy".

Critics have argued that any decision to keep him would "signal to the world that the society has prioritized politics over principles".

External Reactions

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

The message criticized the union of becoming a place where "student leaders openly applaud the killing of a ideological rival".

The statement indicated that if Mr Abaraonye were to keep his position, supporters would "personally contact every U.S. political figure who has ever graced the union's chamber and advise them against future participation".

The society had previously condemned the student's remarks after Kirk's death and stated that complaints submitted about him had been forwarded for disciplinary proceedings.

The student leader had been one of multiple members to debate with the activist at the union in spring.