🔗 Share this article

The president-elect of the prestigious debating society has been removed from his position after losing a vote of confidence that came after his disputed online comments about Charlie Kirk.

The vote against the student leader reached the required two-thirds threshold to oust him from his position, according to an statement from the organization.

Contentious Posts

The controversy erupted after Mr Abaraonye reportedly posted messages on online platforms that seemed to welcome the killing of Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot while speaking at a university in the United States.

According to reports, one Instagram post reportedly stated "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an elongated version of the phrase 'lol'.

The president-elect is also said to have posted in a messaging group with other members seeming to express approval of the event.

Election Results

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

Official notices showed that 1,228 ballots were cast in favor of removal, while 501 were opposed the motion.

The announcement stated that the president-elect was considered to have resigned in following the society's regulations.

Election Controversies

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

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

His response categorically refuted that any person acting for George had participated in threatening or obstructive conduct.

Continuing Controversy

The student maintained that significant concerns had been submitted to the governing body and that he remained president-elect.

His statement added that George was "grateful and honored to have the backing of significantly more than half of university members" who voted to have a "secure voting process and oppose efforts to undermine the electoral process".

Opponents have argued that any failure to remove him would "demonstrate internationally that the society has prioritized politics over principles".

External Reactions

On Friday, Mikey McCoy presented an open letter to the Oxford Union on a related program broadcast.

The letter accused the society of becoming a institution where "presidents of the union publicly celebrate the assassination of a political opponent".

The communication warned 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 graced the union's chamber and advise them against future participation".

The society had previously criticized Mr Abaraonye's comments after Kirk's death and confirmed that complaints submitted about him had been forwarded for disciplinary proceedings.

The student leader had been one of several students to debate with Kirk at the union in May.