Student Society President-Elect Removed Following Conservative Activist Comments
The future president of the prestigious debating society has been removed from his position after losing a no-confidence vote that followed his controversial online comments about the conservative activist.
The motion against George Abaraonye reached the required super-majority to remove him from office, according to an announcement from the organization.
Contentious Posts
The controversy erupted after Mr Abaraonye reportedly posted messages on social media that appeared to welcome the death of Charlie Kirk, 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 said to have written in a WhatsApp chat with other members seeming to express approval of the event.
Election Results
The vote of confidence took place over the weekend, with outcomes announced on this week.
Official notices indicated that over twelve hundred votes were cast supporting no confidence, while 501 were opposed the motion.
The announcement confirmed that the president-elect was deemed to have stepped down in accordance with the Oxford Union's rules.
Procedural Disputes
Proceedings were temporarily halted early on the previous day after the election official was allegedly subjected to "obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility" from several representatives.
In a statement, the student asserted that the vote tally had been halted because election administrators believed "no legitimate and true result could be reached as a result of procedural failures".
His response unequivocally denied that any representative acting for George had participated in threatening or obstructive conduct.
Ongoing Dispute
The president-elect stated that extremely serious issues had been referred to the governing body and that he remained president-elect.
His statement added that George was "proud and thankful to have the support of well in excess of a majority of university members" who voted to have a "secure voting process and resist attempts to subvert democracy".
Opponents have argued that any decision to keep him would "signal to the world that the society has prioritized politics over principles".
External Responses
On recently, Kirk's former chief of staff read out an public message to the society on a related program broadcast.
The message accused the union of becoming a institution where "student leaders openly applaud the assassination of a political opponent".
The statement indicated 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 the activist's killing and stated 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 society in spring.
