🔗 Share this article

The president-elect of the prestigious debating society has been ousted from office after failing a no-confidence vote that came after his disputed social media posts about the conservative activist.

The motion against George Abaraonye reached the required two-thirds threshold to oust him from his position, according to an statement from the society.

Contentious Posts

The controversy began after Mr Abaraonye reportedly posted messages on online platforms that appeared to welcome the killing of the American conservative figure, who was fatally shot while speaking at a university in the United States.

According to sources, one Instagram post reportedly stated "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an extended form of the acronym for 'laughing out loud'.

The student leader is also reported to have written in a messaging group with fellow students seeming to express approval of the event.

Election Results

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

Official notices showed that 1,228 ballots were cast in favor of removal, while just over five hundred were opposed the motion.

The announcement confirmed that the future president was deemed to have stepped down in accordance with the Oxford Union's rules.

Election Controversies

Voting operations were temporarily halted early on Monday after the returning officer was reportedly subjected to "obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility" from multiple individuals.

In a statement, Mr Abaraonye claimed 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 statement categorically refuted that any person acting for the student had participated in threatening or obstructive conduct.

Continuing Controversy

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

His comment added that George was "proud and thankful to have the support of significantly more than half of university members" who voted to have a "secure voting process and resist attempts to subvert democracy".

Critics have argued that any failure to remove him would "signal to the world that the society has chosen ideology over integrity".

External Responses

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

The message accused the union of becoming a place where "student leaders publicly celebrate the killing of a political opponent".

The statement indicated that if the student were to remain in post, supporters would "directly reach out to every American political speaker who has ever spoken at the society and advise them against future participation".

The Oxford Union had previously condemned the student's comments after Kirk's death and confirmed that concerns filed against him had been referred for official review.

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