Oxford Union President-Elect Removed Following Charlie Kirk Comments
The future president of the prestigious debating society has been removed from his position after losing a no-confidence vote that followed his controversial social media posts about the conservative activist.
The vote against George Abaraonye achieved the necessary super-majority to oust him from his position, according to an statement from the organization.
Contentious Posts
The dispute began after the student reportedly posted messages on online platforms that appeared to welcome the killing of Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead while speaking at a university in the United States.
According to reports, one social media message reportedly stated "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an extended form of the acronym for 'laughing out loud'.
The president-elect is also reported to have written in a messaging group with fellow students appearing to welcome the incident.
Election Results
The no-confidence motion was conducted over the weekend, with outcomes revealed on Tuesday.
Society announcements showed that 1,228 ballots were cast supporting no confidence, while just over five hundred were opposed the motion.
The announcement stated that the president-elect was considered to have resigned in following the Oxford Union's rules.
Procedural Disputes
Voting operations were informally suspended early on the previous day after the election official was reportedly subjected to "obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility" from multiple individuals.
In a response, the student asserted that the count had been stopped because electoral officials believed "no legitimate and true result could be reached as a result of procedural failures".
His response unequivocally denied that any representative appointed by George had engaged in threatening or obstructive conduct.
Continuing Controversy
The student stated that significant concerns had been referred to the governing body and that he remained the elected leader.
His statement added that he was "proud and thankful to have the support of well in excess of a majority of university members" who supported a "safe election and oppose efforts to undermine the electoral process".
Opponents have argued that any failure to remove him would "signal to the world that the society has chosen ideology over integrity".
External Reactions
On recently, Mikey McCoy read out an open letter to the Oxford Union on a related program broadcast.
The letter criticized the society of becoming a place where "presidents of the union publicly celebrate the assassination of a ideological rival".
The communication indicated that if Mr Abaraonye were to keep his position, 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 society had earlier condemned the student's comments after Kirk's death and confirmed that complaints submitted about him had been forwarded for disciplinary proceedings.
The president-elect had been one of several students to debate with the activist at the society in spring.
