Student Society President-Elect Removed Due to Charlie Kirk Comments

Oxford Union debate
The activist and student leader participated in a debate at the student society in spring

The president-elect of the prestigious debating society has been ousted from office after losing a no-confidence vote that followed his controversial online comments about the conservative activist.

The motion against George Abaraonye achieved the required two-thirds threshold to remove him from office, according to an statement from the society.

Contentious Posts

The dispute erupted after Mr Abaraonye reportedly shared messages on online platforms that appeared to welcome the death of the American conservative figure, who was shot dead while speaking at a university in Utah.

According to sources, one Instagram post reportedly stated "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an extended form of the acronym for 'laughing out loud'.

The president-elect is also said to have posted in a WhatsApp chat with other members appearing to express approval of the event.

Vote Outcome

The no-confidence motion was conducted over the recent days, with outcomes announced on Tuesday.

Society announcements showed that 1,228 ballots were cast in favor of no confidence, while 501 were opposed the motion.

The announcement stated that the future president was considered to have resigned in following the society's regulations.

Society notice
The student society announced the result of the confidence motion on Tuesday morning

Procedural Disputes

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

In a response, Mr Abaraonye claimed that the count had been stopped because electoral officials believed "no valid outcome could be reached as a result of process errors".

His statement categorically refuted that any representative appointed by George had participated in threatening or obstructive conduct.

Continuing Controversy

The president-elect stated that significant concerns had been referred to the disciplinary committee and that he continued as the elected leader.

His statement added that George was "grateful and honored to have the backing of well in excess of a majority of university members" who supported a "secure voting process and resist attempts to subvert democracy".

Critics have said that any decision to keep him would "signal to the world that the society has prioritized politics over principles".

Conservative activist
The conservative activist was fatally shot while speaking at a university in September

External Responses

On recently, Mikey McCoy read out an public message to the society on a related program broadcast.

The letter criticized the union of becoming a institution where "presidents of the union publicly celebrate the assassination of a political opponent".

The communication warned that if Mr Abaraonye were to keep his position, Kirk's allies would "directly reach out to every American political speaker who has ever spoken at the society and advise them against future participation".

The society had earlier criticized the student's remarks after the activist's killing and confirmed that concerns submitted about him had been referred for official review.

The student leader had been one of multiple members to debate with the activist at the union in May.

Amber Palmer
Amber Palmer

Tech enthusiast and AI researcher with a passion for exploring the future of digital innovation.