Oxford Union President-Elect Ousted Due to Charlie Kirk Posts
The future president of the Oxford Union has been removed from his position after losing a vote of confidence that came after his disputed social media posts about the conservative activist.
The vote against the student leader achieved the required two-thirds threshold to oust him from his position, according to an statement from the society.
Disputed Comments
The controversy erupted after Mr Abaraonye reportedly shared messages on online platforms that seemed to welcome the death of the American conservative figure, who was shot dead while speaking at a college in the United States.
According to reports, one social media message reportedly stated "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an extended form of the acronym for 'laughing out loud'.
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 was conducted over the weekend, with outcomes revealed on Tuesday.
Society announcements showed that 1,228 ballots were cast supporting removal, while just over five hundred were opposed the motion.
The announcement stated that the president-elect was deemed to have resigned in following the Oxford Union's rules.
Election Controversies
Voting operations were informally suspended early on Monday after the election official was allegedly subjected to "obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility" from multiple individuals.
In a response, 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 categorically refuted that any person acting for the student had participated in threatening or obstructive conduct.
Ongoing Dispute
The president-elect maintained that extremely serious issues had been submitted to the governing body and that he remained president-elect.
His comment added that George was "proud and thankful to have the backing of significantly more than half of university members" who voted to have a "secure voting process and resist attempts to subvert democracy".
Opponents have said that any failure to remove him would "demonstrate internationally that the society has chosen ideology over integrity".
External Reactions
On recently, Mikey McCoy presented an public message to the Oxford Union on The Charlie Kirk Show podcast.
The letter criticized 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 American political speaker who has ever graced the union's chamber and urge them never again to lend their name".
The society had previously condemned Mr Abaraonye's comments after Kirk's death and confirmed that complaints filed against 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 spring.