Student Society Future Leader Ousted Following Conservative Activist Posts
The president-elect of the prestigious debating society has been removed from his position after failing a vote of confidence that came after his controversial social media posts about the conservative activist.
The vote against George Abaraonye reached the necessary super-majority to oust him from his position, according to an statement from the society.
Contentious Posts
The dispute erupted after the student reportedly posted messages on online platforms that seemed to welcome the death of Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead while addressing a college in Utah.
According to reports, one Instagram post reportedly stated "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an elongated version of the acronym for 'laughing out loud'.
The president-elect is also reported to have posted in a WhatsApp chat with fellow students seeming to express approval of the event.
Election Results
The vote of confidence took place over the weekend, with results revealed on Tuesday.
Official notices showed that over twelve hundred votes were cast supporting removal, while 501 were opposed the motion.
The notice stated that the future president was considered to have stepped down in following the Oxford Union's rules.
Procedural Disputes
Proceedings were informally suspended early on Monday after the returning officer was allegedly subjected to "obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility" from several representatives.
In a statement, the student claimed that the count had been halted because electoral officials believed "no valid outcome could be reached as a result of process errors".
His response unequivocally denied that any representative appointed by the student had engaged in threatening or obstructive conduct.
Continuing Controversy
The student stated that significant concerns had been submitted to the governing body and that he continued as the elected leader.
His comment added that George was "grateful and honored to have the support of significantly more than half of university members" who supported a "secure voting process and resist attempts to subvert democracy".
Critics have said that any decision to keep him would "demonstrate internationally that the society has chosen ideology over integrity".
External Responses
On recently, Mikey McCoy read out an open letter to the society on The Charlie Kirk Show broadcast.
The letter criticized the union of becoming a institution where "student leaders openly applaud the killing of a political opponent".
The statement warned that if the student were to remain in post, Kirk's allies would "directly reach out to every U.S. political figure who has ever spoken at the society and advise them against future participation".
The society had earlier condemned Mr Abaraonye's comments after the activist's killing and confirmed that concerns submitted about him had been forwarded for disciplinary proceedings.
The student leader had been one of multiple members to discuss with the activist at the union in May.