Oxford Union Future Leader Removed Following Charlie Kirk Posts
The president-elect of the Oxford Union has been removed from his position after losing a no-confidence vote that came after his disputed online comments about the conservative activist.
The motion against the student leader achieved the necessary two-thirds threshold to remove him from office, according to an statement from the society.
Contentious Posts
The controversy erupted after Mr Abaraonye reportedly posted messages on online platforms that appeared to celebrate the death of Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot while addressing a university in the United States.
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 reported to have written in a messaging group with fellow students seeming to express approval of the event.
Vote Outcome
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 removal, while just over five hundred were against the motion.
The announcement stated that the president-elect was considered to have stepped down in following the Oxford Union's rules.
Procedural Disputes
Voting operations were informally suspended early on the previous day after the election official was allegedly subjected to "interference, threats, and inappropriate behavior" from multiple individuals.
In a statement, Mr Abaraonye claimed that the vote tally had been stopped because election administrators believed "no legitimate and true result could be reached as a result of procedural failures".
His statement categorically refuted that any representative acting for George had participated in threatening or obstructive conduct.
Ongoing Dispute
The president-elect maintained that extremely serious issues had been submitted to the disciplinary committee and that he continued as president-elect.
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 "secure voting process 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 prioritized politics over principles".
External Reactions
On Friday, Kirk's former chief of staff presented an public message to the society on a related program podcast.
The message criticized the union of becoming a institution where "student leaders publicly celebrate the killing of a political opponent".
The statement indicated that if the student were to remain in post, supporters would "personally contact every American political speaker who has ever graced the union's chamber and urge them never again to lend their name".
The Oxford Union had previously criticized the student's remarks 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 several students to discuss with the activist at the union in May.