🔗 Share this article

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

Disputed Comments

The dispute began after Mr Abaraonye reportedly shared messages on online platforms that seemed to celebrate the death of the American conservative figure, who was shot dead while addressing a university in Utah.

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

The president-elect is also reported to have written in a WhatsApp chat with other members appearing to welcome the incident.

Vote Outcome

The vote of confidence took place over the recent days, with results revealed on Tuesday.

Official notices indicated that over twelve hundred votes were cast in favor of removal, while just over five hundred were opposed the motion.

The announcement stated that the president-elect was deemed to have stepped down in following the Oxford Union's rules.

Election Controversies

Voting operations were informally suspended early on Monday after the election official was reportedly subjected to "obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility" from multiple individuals.

In a statement, the student claimed that the vote tally had been stopped because electoral officials believed "no legitimate and true result could be reached as a result of process errors".

His statement unequivocally denied that any person acting for the student had participated in threatening or obstructive conduct.

Ongoing Dispute

The student maintained that extremely serious issues had been referred to the governing body and that he continued as the elected leader.

His comment added that George was "proud and thankful to have the backing of significantly more than half of students at Oxford" who supported a "secure voting process and resist attempts to subvert democracy".

Critics have argued that any failure to remove him would "demonstrate internationally that the society has prioritized politics over principles".

External Reactions

On Friday, Mikey McCoy presented an public message to the Oxford Union on The Charlie Kirk Show broadcast.

The message criticized the union of becoming a institution where "student leaders publicly celebrate the killing of a political opponent".

The statement warned that if the student were to remain in post, supporters would "directly reach out to every U.S. political figure who has ever graced the union's chamber and advise them against future participation".

The society had earlier criticized Mr Abaraonye's remarks after the activist's killing and confirmed that concerns filed against him had been referred for official review.

The student leader had been one of several students to debate with the activist at the union in spring.