Student Society Future Leader Removed Following Conservative Activist Comments
The future president of the Oxford Union has been ousted from office after losing a no-confidence vote that came after his controversial online comments about Charlie Kirk.
The motion against George Abaraonye achieved the required two-thirds threshold to remove him from office, according to an statement from the organization.
Disputed Comments
The dispute began after Mr Abaraonye reportedly shared messages on online platforms that appeared to welcome the killing of the American conservative figure, who was shot dead while speaking at a college in the United States.
According to reports, one Instagram post reportedly stated "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an extended form of the phrase 'lol'.
The student leader is also said to have posted in a messaging group with fellow students seeming to express approval of the event.
Election Results
The no-confidence motion was conducted over the weekend, with outcomes announced on this week.
Society announcements showed that 1,228 ballots were cast supporting no confidence, while 501 were opposed the motion.
The announcement confirmed that the president-elect was deemed to have stepped down in accordance with the Oxford Union's rules.
Election Controversies
Voting operations 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, the student claimed that the vote tally had been halted because election administrators believed "no legitimate and true result could be reached as a result of process errors".
His statement unequivocally denied that any representative acting for George had participated in threatening or obstructive conduct.
Ongoing Dispute
The president-elect stated that significant concerns had been referred 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 students at Oxford" who supported a "safe election and resist attempts to subvert democracy".
Opponents have said that any decision to keep him would "demonstrate internationally that the Oxford Union has prioritized politics over principles".
External Responses
On recently, Kirk's former chief of staff presented an public message to the society on The Charlie Kirk Show podcast.
The message accused the union of becoming a institution where "student leaders publicly celebrate the killing of a ideological rival".
The communication warned 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 earlier condemned the student's comments after Kirk's death and stated that concerns filed against him had been referred for official review.
The president-elect had been one of multiple members to debate with Kirk at the union in spring.