Student Society Future Leader Removed Due to Charlie Kirk Posts

Student society event
Charlie Kirk and George Abaraonye participated in a debate at the Oxford Union in May

The future president of the Oxford Union has been ousted from office after failing a vote of confidence that came after his controversial online comments about the conservative activist.

The motion against the student leader achieved the necessary two-thirds threshold to oust him from his position, according to an announcement from the society.

Disputed Comments

The controversy began after Mr Abaraonye reportedly posted messages on online platforms that seemed to welcome the death of Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead while addressing a college in Utah.

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

The president-elect is also said to have posted in a WhatsApp chat with other members seeming to express approval of the event.

Election Results

The no-confidence motion was conducted over the weekend, with outcomes revealed on Tuesday.

Society announcements indicated that 1,228 ballots were cast supporting no confidence, while 501 were opposed the motion.

The notice confirmed that the president-elect was deemed to have stepped down in following the society's regulations.

Oxford Union announcement
The Oxford Union shared the result of the no-confidence vote on Tuesday morning

Procedural Disputes

Proceedings were temporarily halted early on the previous day after the returning officer was reportedly subjected to "obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility" from several representatives.

In a statement, Mr Abaraonye claimed that the count had been halted because election administrators believed "no valid outcome could be reached as a result of process errors".

His statement categorically refuted that any person acting for George had participated in intimidating or disruptive behavior.

Ongoing Dispute

The president-elect maintained that extremely serious issues had been referred to the governing body and that he remained the elected leader.

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

Critics have said that any decision to keep him would "signal to the world that the Oxford Union has chosen ideology over integrity".

Charlie Kirk speaking
The conservative activist was shot dead while addressing a university in last month

External Responses

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

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

The statement indicated that if the student were to keep his position, Kirk's allies would "personally contact every American political speaker 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 the activist's killing and confirmed that complaints filed against him had been forwarded for disciplinary proceedings.

The student leader had been one of multiple members to discuss with Kirk at the society in May.

Daniel Mann
Daniel Mann

A passionate travel writer and photographer with a deep love for Italian culture and history, sharing insights from years of exploration.