Oxford Union Future Leader Removed Due to Conservative Activist Comments

Oxford Union debate
The activist and student leader participated in a discussion at the student society in spring

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

The vote against George Abaraonye achieved the necessary super-majority to remove him from office, according to an statement from the society.

Contentious Posts

The dispute erupted after the student reportedly shared messages on online platforms that appeared to celebrate the killing of Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot while speaking at a college in Utah.

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 WhatsApp chat with fellow students seeming to welcome the incident.

Election Results

The vote of confidence was conducted over the recent days, with results announced on this week.

Society announcements indicated that over twelve hundred votes were cast in favor of no confidence, while just over five hundred were against the motion.

The notice stated that the president-elect was considered to have resigned in accordance with the Oxford Union's rules.

Society notice
The Oxford Union announced the result of the no-confidence vote on Tuesday morning

Procedural Disputes

Proceedings were informally suspended early on Monday after the returning officer was allegedly subjected to "interference, threats, and inappropriate behavior" from multiple individuals.

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

His response unequivocally denied that any representative appointed by the student had engaged in threatening or obstructive conduct.

Continuing Controversy

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

His statement added that George was "proud and thankful to have the backing of well in excess of a majority of university members" who supported a "secure voting process and oppose efforts to undermine the electoral process".

Opponents have said that any failure to remove him would "demonstrate internationally that the society has chosen ideology over integrity".

Charlie Kirk speaking
The conservative activist was fatally shot while addressing a university in September

External Responses

On Friday, Kirk's former chief of staff presented an public message to the society on a related program podcast.

The message criticized the society of becoming a institution where "presidents of the union openly applaud the killing of a political opponent".

The communication warned that if Mr Abaraonye were to remain in post, supporters would "directly reach out to every American political speaker who has ever spoken at the society and urge them never again to lend their name".

The Oxford Union had previously criticized the student's comments after the activist's killing and stated that complaints submitted about him had been referred for official review.

The student leader had been one of multiple members to debate with the activist at the union in spring.

Christine Johnston
Christine Johnston

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