🔗 Share this article

The future president of the Oxford Union has been ousted from office after losing a no-confidence vote that followed his controversial online comments about Charlie Kirk.

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

Disputed Comments

The dispute began after Mr Abaraonye reportedly shared messages on social media that appeared to welcome the killing of the American conservative figure, who was shot dead while speaking at a university in Utah.

According to reports, one Instagram post reportedly stated "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an elongated version of the phrase 'lol'.

The president-elect is also said to have posted in a messaging group with other members appearing to welcome the incident.

Election Results

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

Official notices showed that over twelve hundred votes were cast supporting no confidence, while 501 were opposed the motion.

The notice stated that the president-elect was considered to have stepped down in accordance with the Oxford Union's rules.

Election Controversies

Proceedings were informally suspended early on Monday after the returning officer was allegedly subjected to "obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility" from several representatives.

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

His response unequivocally denied that any person acting for George had engaged in intimidating or disruptive behavior.

Continuing Controversy

The president-elect maintained that significant concerns had been referred 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 well in excess of a majority of students at Oxford" who supported a "secure voting process and oppose efforts to undermine the electoral process".

Critics have said that any failure to remove him would "signal to the world that the society has chosen ideology over integrity".

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 letter accused the union of becoming a place where "presidents of the union publicly celebrate the killing of a ideological rival".

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

The Oxford Union had previously condemned the student's remarks after the activist's killing and stated that concerns filed against him had been forwarded for disciplinary proceedings.

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