Student Society Future Leader Ousted Following Charlie Kirk Posts
The president-elect of the Oxford Union has been removed from his position after failing a no-confidence vote that came after his disputed online comments about the conservative activist.
The motion against the student leader reached the necessary super-majority to remove him from office, according to an statement from the society.
Disputed Comments
The dispute began after Mr Abaraonye reportedly posted messages on social media that seemed to welcome the death of Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead while speaking at a university in the United States.
According to reports, one Instagram post reportedly read "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an elongated version of the acronym for 'laughing out loud'.
The student leader 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 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 no confidence, while 501 were opposed the motion.
The notice stated that the future president was deemed to have stepped down in accordance with the Oxford Union's rules.
Election Controversies
Voting operations were informally suspended early on Monday after the election official was reportedly subjected to "obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility" from multiple individuals.
In a response, Mr Abaraonye asserted that the vote tally had been stopped because election administrators believed "no legitimate and true result could be reached as a result of process errors".
His statement categorically refuted that any person acting for the student had participated in intimidating or disruptive behavior.
Continuing Controversy
The student stated that significant concerns had been referred to the governing body and that he continued as president-elect.
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 "secure voting process and oppose efforts to undermine the electoral process".
Opponents have said that any decision to keep him would "demonstrate internationally that the Oxford Union has prioritized politics over principles".
External Reactions
On recently, Mikey McCoy presented an public message to the Oxford Union on The Charlie Kirk Show podcast.
The letter accused the society of becoming a place where "presidents of the union publicly celebrate the killing of a political opponent".
The communication warned that if Mr Abaraonye were to remain in post, supporters would "directly reach out to every U.S. political figure who has ever spoken at the society and urge them never again to lend their name".
The Oxford Union had earlier criticized Mr Abaraonye's remarks after the activist's killing and confirmed that complaints filed against him had been forwarded for disciplinary proceedings.
The student leader had been one of multiple members to discuss with the activist at the society in spring.