Oxford Union President-Elect Removed Following Conservative Activist Comments

Oxford Union debate
Charlie Kirk and George Abaraonye participated in a discussion at the student society in May

The president-elect of the Oxford Union has been removed from his position after losing a vote of confidence that followed his disputed online comments about the conservative activist.

The vote against George Abaraonye reached the necessary two-thirds threshold to oust him from his position, according to an announcement from the organization.

Disputed Comments

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

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

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

Vote Outcome

The no-confidence motion took place over the weekend, with results revealed on this week.

Society announcements showed that over twelve hundred votes were cast supporting no confidence, while 501 were against the motion.

The notice stated that the future president was considered to have stepped down in following the society's regulations.

Oxford Union announcement
The Oxford Union announced the result of the confidence motion on Tuesday morning

Election Controversies

Voting operations were informally suspended early on the previous day after the election official was reportedly subjected to "interference, threats, and inappropriate behavior" from multiple individuals.

In a statement, the student asserted that the vote tally had been stopped because election administrators believed "no legitimate and true result could be reached as a result of procedural failures".

His statement categorically refuted that any person appointed by George had participated in intimidating or disruptive behavior.

Ongoing Dispute

The student maintained that extremely serious issues had been referred to the governing body and that he remained president-elect.

His comment added that he was "grateful and honored to have the support of significantly more than half of university members" who supported a "safe election and oppose efforts to undermine the electoral process".

Critics have said that any failure to remove him would "signal to the world that the society has prioritized politics over principles".

Conservative activist
The conservative activist was shot dead while addressing a university in last month

External Reactions

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

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

The communication warned that if the student were to keep his position, supporters would "personally contact every U.S. political figure who has ever graced the union's chamber and advise them against future participation".

The Oxford Union had earlier criticized Mr Abaraonye's comments after the activist's killing and confirmed that concerns submitted about him had been forwarded for disciplinary proceedings.

The president-elect had been one of several students to debate with the activist at the union in May.

David Morales
David Morales

An avid mountaineer and gear enthusiast with over a decade of experience in outdoor adventures and product testing.