Student Society Future Leader Ousted Due to Conservative Activist Comments
The president-elect of the Oxford Union has been ousted from office after losing a no-confidence vote that came after his controversial social media posts about the conservative activist.
The vote against George Abaraonye reached the required two-thirds threshold to oust him from his position, according to an announcement from the organization.
Disputed Comments
The controversy erupted after the student reportedly shared messages on social media that appeared to celebrate the killing of Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot while speaking at a college in the United States.
According to sources, one social media message reportedly stated "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an extended form of the phrase 'lol'.
The president-elect is also reported to have written in a WhatsApp chat with fellow students appearing to welcome the incident.
Vote Outcome
The no-confidence motion was conducted over the weekend, with results revealed on this week.
Society announcements showed that 1,228 ballots were cast in favor of no confidence, while just over five hundred were opposed the motion.
The notice stated that the future president was deemed to have stepped down in following the society's regulations.
Procedural Disputes
Voting operations were informally suspended early on the previous day after the election official was allegedly subjected to "interference, threats, and inappropriate behavior" from multiple individuals.
In a response, the student asserted that the count had been halted because electoral officials believed "no legitimate and true result could be reached as a result of procedural failures".
His statement categorically refuted that any representative appointed by the student had participated in threatening or obstructive conduct.
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 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 "secure voting process and oppose efforts to undermine the electoral process".
Critics have argued that any failure to remove him would "signal to the world that the Oxford Union has chosen ideology over integrity".
External Reactions
On Friday, Kirk's former chief of staff presented an open letter to the Oxford Union on a related program podcast.
The letter accused the union of becoming a place where "student leaders publicly celebrate the assassination of a ideological rival".
The statement warned that if Mr Abaraonye were to remain in post, supporters would "directly reach out to every American political speaker who has ever graced the union's chamber and urge them never again to lend their name".
The society had previously condemned the student's comments after Kirk's death and confirmed that concerns filed against him had been forwarded for disciplinary proceedings.
The president-elect had been one of several students to debate with Kirk at the society in spring.