Student Society President-Elect Ousted Due to Charlie Kirk Comments
The future president of the Oxford Union has been removed from his position after failing a vote of confidence that came after his disputed social media posts about the conservative activist.
The vote against the student leader achieved the necessary two-thirds threshold to oust him from his position, according to an announcement from the organization.
Contentious Posts
The dispute began after Mr Abaraonye reportedly posted messages on social media that appeared to welcome the death of Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot while speaking at a college in Utah.
According to sources, one social media message reportedly read "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an extended form of the phrase 'lol'.
The president-elect is also reported to have written in a messaging group with fellow students seeming to express approval of the event.
Election Results
The vote of confidence took place over the recent days, with results announced on this week.
Official notices showed that over twelve hundred votes were cast supporting removal, while 501 were against the motion.
The announcement confirmed that the president-elect was deemed to have resigned in following the society's regulations.
Election Controversies
Voting operations were informally suspended early on the previous day after the election official 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 election administrators believed "no valid outcome could be reached as a result of procedural failures".
His response unequivocally denied that any representative acting for the student had engaged in threatening or obstructive conduct.
Ongoing Dispute
The president-elect maintained that significant concerns had been referred to the governing body and that he continued as president-elect.
His statement added that George was "proud and thankful to have the support 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 decision to keep him would "demonstrate internationally that the Oxford Union has prioritized politics over principles".
External Reactions
On Friday, Kirk's former chief of staff read out an open letter to the Oxford Union on The Charlie Kirk Show broadcast.
The letter criticized the union of becoming a place where "student leaders openly applaud the killing of a political opponent".
The statement warned that if Mr Abaraonye were to remain in post, supporters would "personally contact every American political speaker who has ever graced the union's chamber and urge them never again to lend their name".
The Oxford Union had earlier criticized Mr Abaraonye's comments after the activist's killing and confirmed that concerns submitted about him had been referred for official review.
The president-elect had been one of several students to discuss with Kirk at the society in May.