Student Society President-Elect Removed Following Conservative Activist Posts
The president-elect of the Oxford Union has been ousted from office after failing a no-confidence vote that came after his disputed social media posts about the conservative activist.
The vote against the student leader reached the necessary two-thirds threshold to remove him from office, according to an statement from the society.
Contentious Posts
The controversy began after Mr Abaraonye reportedly posted messages on online platforms that seemed to celebrate the death of Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead while speaking at a university in Utah.
According to sources, one social media message reportedly read "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an elongated version of the acronym for 'laughing out loud'.
The student leader is also reported to have written in a WhatsApp chat with other members appearing to express approval of the event.
Election Results
The no-confidence motion was conducted over the recent days, with results revealed on this week.
Official notices showed that over twelve hundred votes were cast in favor of removal, while just over five hundred were opposed the motion.
The announcement confirmed that the future president was deemed to have resigned in accordance with the society's regulations.
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 multiple individuals.
In a statement, the student asserted that the vote tally had been stopped because election administrators believed "no valid outcome could be reached as a result of procedural failures".
His response unequivocally denied that any representative appointed by the student had participated in intimidating or disruptive behavior.
Ongoing Dispute
The president-elect maintained that significant concerns had been submitted to the disciplinary committee and that he continued as president-elect.
His comment added that George was "grateful and honored to have the backing of well in excess of a majority of university members" who voted to have a "secure voting process and resist attempts to subvert democracy".
Critics have said that any failure to remove him would "signal to the world that the Oxford Union has prioritized politics over principles".
External Reactions
On Friday, Mikey McCoy read out an open letter to the Oxford Union on The Charlie Kirk Show podcast.
The message criticized the society of becoming a place where "presidents of the union openly applaud the assassination of a ideological rival".
The statement indicated that if the student were to keep his position, supporters would "directly reach out to every U.S. political figure who has ever graced the union's chamber and advise them against future participation".
The Oxford Union had earlier criticized the student's comments after the activist's killing and confirmed that complaints submitted about him had been forwarded for disciplinary proceedings.
The president-elect had been one of multiple members to debate with the activist at the society in May.