Student Society Future Leader Removed Following Charlie Kirk Posts

Student society event
Charlie Kirk and George Abaraonye participated in a debate at the student society in spring

The future president of the Oxford Union has been ousted from office after losing a no-confidence vote that came after his disputed social media posts about Charlie Kirk.

The vote against George Abaraonye reached the required super-majority to remove him from office, according to an announcement from the society.

Contentious Posts

The controversy began after Mr Abaraonye reportedly shared messages on online platforms that appeared to welcome the death of the American conservative figure, who was shot dead while speaking at a university in Utah.

According to reports, one social media message reportedly stated "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an extended form of the phrase 'lol'.

The student leader is also reported to have written in a messaging group with other members appearing to welcome the incident.

Election Results

The no-confidence motion took place over the recent days, with outcomes announced on Tuesday.

Society announcements showed that 1,228 ballots were cast in favor of removal, while just over five hundred were against the motion.

The notice stated that the future president was considered to have resigned in following the Oxford Union's rules.

Society notice
The Oxford Union announced the outcome of the confidence motion on this week

Election Controversies

Proceedings were informally suspended early on the previous day after the election official was allegedly subjected to "obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility" from several representatives.

In a statement, Mr Abaraonye asserted that the vote tally had been stopped because electoral officials believed "no legitimate and true result could be reached as a result of process errors".

His response unequivocally denied that any representative acting for the student had participated in threatening or obstructive conduct.

Continuing Controversy

The president-elect maintained that extremely serious issues had been submitted to the disciplinary committee and that he continued as president-elect.

His statement added that he was "grateful and honored to have the support of significantly more than half of university members" who voted to have a "safe election and resist attempts to subvert democracy".

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

Conservative activist
Charlie Kirk was fatally shot while speaking at a university in last month

External Reactions

On recently, Mikey McCoy presented an public message to the society on The Charlie Kirk Show podcast.

The letter accused the society of becoming a institution where "presidents of the union openly applaud the killing of a ideological rival".

The statement warned that if Mr Abaraonye were to keep his position, Kirk's allies would "directly reach out to every U.S. political figure who has ever graced the union's chamber and urge them never again to lend their name".

The society had previously condemned Mr Abaraonye's comments after Kirk's death and stated that concerns submitted about him had been referred for official review.

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

Julie Frost
Julie Frost

A tech enthusiast and lifestyle writer passionate about sharing practical advice and inspiring stories.

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