Oxford Union President-Elect Removed Due to Conservative Activist Comments

The president-elect of the Oxford Union has been removed from his position after losing a vote of confidence that followed his controversial online comments about Charlie Kirk.

The vote against George Abaraonye achieved the necessary two-thirds threshold to oust him from his position, according to an statement from the organization.

Contentious Posts

The controversy erupted after Mr Abaraonye reportedly posted messages on online platforms that appeared to celebrate the killing of Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot while speaking at a college in Utah.

According to reports, 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 other members seeming to express approval of the event.

Election Results

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

Official notices indicated that over twelve hundred votes were cast in favor of no confidence, while just over five hundred were opposed the motion.

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

Procedural Disputes

Voting operations were temporarily halted early on Monday after the returning officer was allegedly subjected to "obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility" from multiple individuals.

In a response, Mr Abaraonye claimed that the vote tally had been stopped because electoral officials believed "no legitimate and true result could be reached as a result of procedural failures".

His response categorically refuted that any person acting for the student had engaged in threatening or obstructive conduct.

Ongoing Dispute

The student stated that extremely serious issues had been submitted 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 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 society has prioritized politics over principles".

External Responses

On Friday, Kirk's former chief of staff read out an public message to the society on The Charlie Kirk Show podcast.

The letter criticized the society of becoming a place where "presidents of the union openly applaud the killing of a ideological rival".

The statement warned that if Mr Abaraonye were to keep his position, Kirk's allies would "directly reach out to every U.S. political figure who has ever graced the union's chamber and urge them never again to lend their name".

The society had earlier criticized the student's comments after the activist's killing and stated that concerns filed against him had been referred for official review.

The student leader had been one of several students to discuss with the activist at the society in May.