🔗 Share this article

The future president of the prestigious debating society has been removed from his position after losing a no-confidence vote that came after his disputed social media posts about Charlie Kirk.

The vote against George Abaraonye achieved the required super-majority 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 celebrate the killing of the American conservative figure, who was fatally shot while speaking at a university in Utah.

According to sources, one Instagram post reportedly stated "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an extended form of the phrase 'lol'.

The president-elect is also reported to have posted in a messaging group with fellow students seeming to welcome the incident.

Vote Outcome

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

Society announcements showed that over twelve hundred votes were cast supporting no confidence, while 501 were against the motion.

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

Procedural Disputes

Proceedings 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 statement, the student claimed that the count had been halted because election administrators believed "no legitimate and true result could be reached as a result of procedural failures".

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

Ongoing Dispute

The president-elect stated that significant concerns had been submitted to the disciplinary committee and that he remained the elected leader.

His comment added that he was "grateful and honored to have the backing of well in excess of a majority of students at Oxford" who supported a "secure voting process and resist attempts to subvert democracy".

Critics have argued that any decision to keep him would "signal to the world that the Oxford Union has prioritized politics over principles".

External Responses

On Friday, Kirk's former chief of staff read out an open letter to the society on The Charlie Kirk Show broadcast.

The message criticized the union of becoming a institution where "student leaders openly applaud the assassination of a political opponent".

The statement indicated that if the student were to remain in post, Kirk's allies would "directly reach out to every U.S. political figure who has ever spoken at the society and advise them against future participation".

The society had previously condemned the student's comments after the activist's killing and stated that concerns submitted about him had been referred for official review.

The president-elect had been one of several students to debate with Kirk at the union in May.