Student Society Future Leader Ousted Due to Conservative Activist Posts
The president-elect of the prestigious debating society has been removed from his position after failing a vote of confidence that followed his controversial online comments about Charlie Kirk.
The motion against the student leader reached the necessary two-thirds threshold to remove him from office, according to an announcement from the organization.
Disputed Comments
The controversy began after the student reportedly shared messages on social media that seemed to welcome the killing of the American conservative figure, who was fatally shot while addressing a university in Utah.
According to sources, one Instagram post reportedly stated "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an extended form of the phrase 'lol'.
The student leader is also reported to have written in a WhatsApp chat with other members seeming to welcome the incident.
Election Results
The vote of confidence took place over the recent days, with outcomes announced on Tuesday.
Official notices indicated that over twelve hundred votes were cast in favor of no confidence, while just over five hundred were against the motion.
The announcement confirmed that the future president was considered to have stepped down in following the Oxford Union's rules.
Election Controversies
Proceedings were temporarily halted early on the previous day after the election official was reportedly subjected to "interference, threats, and inappropriate behavior" from several representatives.
In a response, Mr Abaraonye claimed that the vote tally had been stopped because election administrators believed "no valid outcome could be reached as a result of process errors".
His response unequivocally denied that any person acting for the student had participated in intimidating or disruptive behavior.
Ongoing Dispute
The student stated that significant concerns had been referred to the governing body and that he continued as the elected leader.
His statement added that George was "grateful and honored to have the backing of significantly more than half of university members" who voted to have a "safe election and resist attempts to subvert democracy".
Critics have said that any decision to keep him would "demonstrate internationally that the society has chosen ideology over integrity".
External Responses
On Friday, Kirk's former chief of staff read out an open letter to the society on a related program broadcast.
The message accused the society of becoming a place where "student leaders openly applaud the assassination of a ideological rival".
The statement indicated that if Mr Abaraonye were to remain in post, Kirk's allies would "personally contact every U.S. political figure who has ever spoken at the society and advise them against future participation".
The society had earlier criticized Mr Abaraonye's remarks after Kirk's death 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.