Student Society President-Elect Removed Due to Charlie Kirk Comments
The future president of the Oxford Union has been ousted from office after failing a no-confidence vote that followed his controversial online comments about Charlie Kirk.
The motion against George Abaraonye achieved the necessary super-majority to remove him from office, according to an announcement from the organization.
Disputed Comments
The controversy erupted after the student reportedly posted messages on online platforms that appeared to welcome the death of the American conservative figure, 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 extended form of the acronym for 'laughing out loud'.
The president-elect is also reported to have written in a messaging group with other members appearing to welcome the incident.
Election Results
The vote of confidence took place over the weekend, with outcomes announced on this week.
Official notices showed that over twelve hundred votes were cast supporting no confidence, while 501 were opposed the motion.
The announcement stated that the future president was deemed to have stepped down in following the Oxford Union's rules.
Procedural Disputes
Voting operations were temporarily halted early on Monday after the returning officer was allegedly subjected to "interference, threats, and inappropriate behavior" from several representatives.
In a statement, the student claimed that the count had been halted because electoral officials believed "no valid outcome could be reached as a result of procedural failures".
His statement unequivocally denied that any person acting for the student had engaged in intimidating or disruptive behavior.
Ongoing Dispute
The president-elect maintained that significant concerns had been referred to the governing body and that he remained president-elect.
His comment added that he was "grateful and honored to have the support of significantly more than half of students at Oxford" who supported a "safe election and oppose efforts to undermine the electoral process".
Opponents have argued that any decision to keep him would "signal to the world that the Oxford Union has chosen ideology over integrity".
External Responses
On recently, Kirk's former chief of staff presented an public message to the society on The Charlie Kirk Show broadcast.
The message criticized the society of becoming a place where "presidents of the union openly applaud the assassination of a ideological rival".
The statement warned that if Mr Abaraonye were to keep his position, supporters would "directly reach out to every U.S. political figure who has ever spoken at the society and urge them never again to lend their name".
The Oxford Union had earlier condemned Mr Abaraonye's comments after Kirk's death and stated that complaints submitted about him had been referred for official review.
The president-elect had been one of several students to debate with Kirk at the union in spring.