Student Society Future Leader Removed Following Conservative Activist Comments
The future president of the prestigious debating society has been ousted from office after failing a vote of confidence that followed his controversial social media posts about Charlie Kirk.
The vote against George Abaraonye achieved the necessary 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 shared messages on online platforms that appeared to welcome the death of Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot while speaking at a university in the United States.
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 said to have posted in a WhatsApp chat with fellow students appearing to express approval of the event.
Vote Outcome
The no-confidence motion was conducted over the weekend, with outcomes revealed on Tuesday.
Official notices indicated that over twelve hundred votes were cast supporting removal, while 501 were opposed the motion.
The notice confirmed that the future president was deemed to have stepped down in accordance with the society's regulations.
Procedural Disputes
Voting operations were temporarily halted early on Monday after the election official was reportedly subjected to "interference, threats, and inappropriate behavior" from multiple individuals.
In a response, the student asserted that the vote tally had been halted because electoral officials believed "no legitimate and true result could be reached as a result of process errors".
His statement categorically refuted that any person appointed by the student had engaged in intimidating or disruptive behavior.
Continuing Controversy
The president-elect stated that significant concerns had been referred to the disciplinary committee and that he remained the elected leader.
His statement added that George was "proud and thankful to have the backing of well in excess of a majority 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 chosen ideology over integrity".
External Reactions
On recently, Mikey McCoy presented an public message to the Oxford Union on a related program podcast.
The message accused the union of becoming a institution where "student leaders publicly celebrate the killing of a ideological rival".
The communication warned that if Mr Abaraonye were to keep his position, supporters would "personally contact every U.S. political figure who has ever spoken at the society and advise them against future participation".
The society had previously 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 spring.