Student Society President-Elect Ousted Following Charlie Kirk Posts
The future president of the Oxford Union has been ousted from office after failing a no-confidence vote that followed his disputed online comments about Charlie Kirk.
The motion against the student leader achieved the required two-thirds threshold to oust him from his position, according to an statement from the organization.
Contentious Posts
The controversy erupted after the student reportedly posted messages on online platforms that seemed to welcome the killing of Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot while addressing 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 other members seeming to express approval of the event.
Vote Outcome
The vote of confidence was conducted over the weekend, with results announced on this week.
Official notices showed that 1,228 ballots were cast in favor of removal, while just over five hundred were against the motion.
The notice confirmed that the president-elect was deemed to have resigned in accordance with the society's regulations.
Election Controversies
Voting operations were temporarily halted early on the previous day after the election official was allegedly subjected to "interference, threats, and inappropriate behavior" from several representatives.
In a response, Mr Abaraonye claimed that the count had been halted because electoral officials believed "no valid outcome could be reached as a result of procedural failures".
His statement categorically refuted that any person acting for the student had engaged in threatening or obstructive conduct.
Ongoing Dispute
The student stated that extremely serious issues had been submitted to the governing body and that he remained president-elect.
His statement added that George was "proud and thankful to have the support of significantly more than half of students at Oxford" who supported a "secure voting process and resist attempts to subvert democracy".
Opponents have said that any failure to remove him would "demonstrate internationally that the society has prioritized politics over principles".
External Responses
On Friday, Kirk's former chief of staff read out an open letter to the Oxford Union on The Charlie Kirk Show broadcast.
The letter accused the society of becoming a place where "student leaders publicly celebrate the assassination of a ideological rival".
The communication indicated that if Mr Abaraonye were to remain in post, Kirk's allies would "personally contact every American political speaker who has ever spoken at the society and advise them against future participation".
The society had earlier condemned the student's comments after the activist's killing and stated that concerns filed against him had been referred for official review.
The student leader had been one of several students to discuss with Kirk at the union in May.
