Oxford Union Future Leader Removed Due to Charlie Kirk Comments
The future president of the prestigious debating society has been ousted from office after losing a no-confidence vote that followed his disputed social media posts about the conservative activist.
The motion against George Abaraonye reached the necessary super-majority to remove him from office, according to an statement from the organization.
Disputed Comments
The controversy erupted after Mr Abaraonye reportedly posted messages on social media that seemed to celebrate the death of the American conservative figure, who was shot dead while addressing a college in Utah.
According to reports, one social media message reportedly read "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an extended form of the phrase 'lol'.
The president-elect is also said to have written in a messaging group with other members seeming to welcome the incident.
Election Results
The vote of confidence took place over the recent days, with outcomes revealed on this week.
Official notices showed that over twelve hundred votes were cast in favor of no confidence, while just over five hundred were against the motion.
The notice confirmed that the president-elect was deemed to have stepped down in accordance with the Oxford Union's rules.
Election Controversies
Voting operations were temporarily halted early on Monday after the returning officer was allegedly subjected to "obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility" from several representatives.
In a response, the student claimed that the count had been stopped because electoral officials believed "no legitimate and true result could be reached as a result of procedural failures".
His response categorically refuted that any representative appointed by George had engaged in threatening or obstructive conduct.
Ongoing Dispute
The president-elect stated that significant concerns had been referred to the governing body and that he remained the elected leader.
His statement added that George was "grateful and honored to have the support of significantly more than half of students at Oxford" who voted to have a "secure voting process and oppose efforts to undermine the electoral process".
Opponents have argued that any failure to remove him would "demonstrate internationally that the Oxford Union has prioritized politics over principles".
External Reactions
On recently, Kirk's former chief of staff read out an open letter to the society on The Charlie Kirk Show broadcast.
The message accused the society of becoming a institution where "presidents of the union openly applaud the killing of a ideological rival".
The communication 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 comments after the activist's killing and stated that concerns submitted about him had been referred for official review.
The student leader had been one of multiple members to discuss with Kirk at the society in spring.