🔗 Share this article

The future president of the prestigious debating society has been removed from his position after failing a vote of confidence that came after his controversial social media posts about the conservative activist.

The motion against George Abaraonye reached the required two-thirds threshold to oust him from his position, according to an announcement from the society.

Contentious Posts

The dispute erupted after Mr Abaraonye reportedly shared messages on social media that appeared to welcome the death of Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead while speaking at a college in Utah.

According to sources, one social media message reportedly read "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an elongated version of the acronym for 'laughing out loud'.

The student leader is also reported to have posted in a WhatsApp chat with other members appearing to express approval of the event.

Election Results

The vote of confidence was conducted over the weekend, with outcomes announced on this week.

Official notices showed that over twelve hundred votes were cast supporting no confidence, while just over five hundred were opposed the motion.

The announcement confirmed that the president-elect was considered to have resigned in following the society's regulations.

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 several representatives.

In a statement, the student asserted that the vote tally had been halted because electoral officials believed "no valid outcome could be reached as a result of procedural failures".

His response categorically refuted that any person appointed by the student had participated in threatening or obstructive conduct.

Continuing Controversy

The president-elect stated that extremely serious issues had been submitted to the governing body and that he continued as president-elect.

His comment added that George was "proud and thankful to have the support of significantly more than half of students at Oxford" who voted to have a "safe election 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 read out an public message to the society on The Charlie Kirk Show podcast.

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

The communication indicated that if the student were to keep his position, Kirk's allies would "personally contact every U.S. political figure who has ever spoken at the society and urge them never again to lend their name".

The Oxford Union had earlier condemned the student's comments after Kirk's death and stated that concerns filed against him had been forwarded for disciplinary proceedings.

The president-elect had been one of several students to discuss with the activist at the society in spring.