Student Society President-Elect Removed Due to Charlie Kirk Posts
The president-elect of the Oxford Union has been removed from his position after failing a vote of confidence that followed his controversial online comments about Charlie Kirk.
The vote against George Abaraonye achieved the required two-thirds threshold to oust him from his position, according to an statement from the society.
Contentious Posts
The dispute began after Mr Abaraonye reportedly posted messages on online platforms that appeared to welcome the killing of the American conservative figure, who was fatally shot while addressing 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 acronym for 'laughing out loud'.
The student leader is also said to have posted in a WhatsApp chat with fellow students seeming to express approval of the event.
Election Results
The no-confidence motion took place over the weekend, with results announced on this week.
Society announcements indicated that 1,228 ballots were cast supporting removal, while 501 were opposed the motion.
The notice confirmed that the president-elect was deemed to have resigned in following the society's regulations.
Procedural Disputes
Voting operations were informally suspended early on the previous day after the election official was allegedly subjected to "interference, threats, and inappropriate behavior" from multiple individuals.
In a response, Mr Abaraonye claimed that the count had been halted because electoral officials believed "no valid outcome could be reached as a result of process errors".
His response unequivocally denied that any person acting for the student had participated in intimidating or disruptive behavior.
Ongoing Dispute
The student stated that significant concerns had been submitted to the disciplinary committee and that he remained president-elect.
His statement added that George was "proud and thankful to have the backing of significantly more than half of students at Oxford" who voted to have a "safe election and oppose efforts to undermine the electoral process".
Critics have argued that any decision to keep him would "signal to the world that the Oxford Union has prioritized politics over principles".
External Reactions
On recently, Kirk's former chief of staff presented an open letter to the society on The Charlie Kirk Show broadcast.
The message accused the society of becoming a institution where "student leaders publicly celebrate the killing of a political opponent".
The statement warned that if the student were to keep his position, Kirk's allies would "directly reach out to every American political speaker who has ever graced the union's chamber and urge them never again to lend their name".
The society had previously criticized Mr Abaraonye's remarks after Kirk's death and confirmed that concerns submitted about him had been forwarded for disciplinary proceedings.
The student leader had been one of multiple members to debate with Kirk at the union in May.
