🔗 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 social media posts about Charlie Kirk.

The vote against George Abaraonye achieved the necessary super-majority to oust him from his position, according to an announcement from the organization.

Disputed Comments

The dispute erupted 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 sources, one Instagram post reportedly stated "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an elongated version of the acronym for 'laughing out loud'.

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

Election Results

The vote of confidence took place over the recent days, with outcomes announced on this week.

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

The announcement stated that the future president was deemed to have resigned in following the society's regulations.

Procedural Disputes

Proceedings were temporarily halted early on the previous day after the election official was reportedly subjected to "obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility" from multiple individuals.

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 representative appointed by George had participated in intimidating or disruptive behavior.

Continuing Controversy

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

His comment added that he was "proud and thankful to have the support of significantly more than half of students at Oxford" who supported a "safe election and oppose efforts to undermine the electoral process".

Critics have argued that any decision to keep him would "signal to the world that the society has prioritized politics over principles".

External Reactions

On Friday, Mikey McCoy read out an open letter to the society on The Charlie Kirk Show podcast.

The message accused the society of becoming a institution where "student leaders openly applaud the killing of a political opponent".

The statement indicated that if Mr Abaraonye were to keep his position, Kirk's allies would "directly reach out to every American political speaker who has ever spoken at the society and urge them never again to lend their name".

The Oxford Union had earlier condemned the student's comments after Kirk's death and stated that complaints submitted about him had been referred for official review.

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