🔗 Share this article

The president-elect of the prestigious debating society has been removed from his position after losing a no-confidence vote that came after his controversial online comments about Charlie Kirk.

The vote against George Abaraonye reached the required super-majority to oust him from his position, according to an statement from the society.

Disputed Comments

The dispute erupted after the student reportedly posted messages on social media that seemed to welcome the killing of the American conservative figure, who was fatally shot while addressing a university in Utah.

According to sources, one social media message reportedly read "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an elongated version of the phrase 'lol'.

The president-elect is also reported to have posted in a WhatsApp chat with fellow students seeming to welcome the incident.

Vote Outcome

The no-confidence motion took place over the recent days, with outcomes revealed on Tuesday.

Official notices showed that over twelve hundred votes were cast supporting removal, while 501 were opposed the motion.

The announcement stated that the future president was deemed to have resigned in following the Oxford Union's rules.

Procedural Disputes

Proceedings were temporarily halted early on the previous day after the returning officer was reportedly subjected to "interference, threats, and inappropriate behavior" from multiple individuals.

In a statement, Mr Abaraonye 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 categorically refuted that any representative appointed by George had engaged in intimidating or disruptive behavior.

Ongoing Dispute

The student stated that significant concerns had been submitted to the governing body and that he remained president-elect.

His statement added that he was "proud and thankful to have the support of well in excess of a majority of university members" who voted to have a "safe election and resist attempts to subvert democracy".

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 read out an open letter to the society on The Charlie Kirk Show broadcast.

The message criticized the society of becoming a institution where "student leaders publicly celebrate the assassination of a ideological rival".

The statement indicated that if the student were to remain in post, Kirk's allies would "directly reach out to every American political speaker who has ever graced the union's chamber and advise them against future participation".

The society had earlier criticized the student's comments after the activist's killing and confirmed 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 society in May.