Student Society Future Leader Removed Following Conservative Activist Posts
The president-elect of the Oxford Union has been ousted from office after losing a vote of confidence that followed his controversial social media posts about Charlie Kirk.
The vote against the student leader reached the required two-thirds threshold to remove him from office, according to an statement from the organization.
Contentious Posts
The dispute began after the student reportedly posted messages on social media that seemed to welcome the death of the American conservative figure, who was fatally shot while speaking at a college in Utah.
According to sources, one Instagram post reportedly stated "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 WhatsApp chat with fellow students seeming to express approval of the event.
Election Results
The no-confidence motion took place over the recent days, with results revealed on Tuesday.
Society announcements indicated that over twelve hundred votes were cast supporting no confidence, while just over five hundred were against 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
Proceedings were temporarily halted early on Monday after the election official was allegedly subjected to "interference, threats, and inappropriate behavior" from multiple individuals.
In a statement, the student claimed that the count had been halted because election administrators believed "no legitimate and true result could be reached as a result of procedural failures".
His response categorically refuted that any representative acting for George had participated in threatening or obstructive conduct.
Ongoing Dispute
The student maintained that extremely serious issues had been submitted to the governing body and that he continued as the elected leader.
His statement added that he was "grateful and honored to have the backing of well in excess of a majority of students at Oxford" who voted to have a "secure voting process and oppose efforts to undermine the electoral process".
Opponents have argued that any failure to remove him would "demonstrate internationally that the society has chosen ideology over integrity".
External Reactions
On recently, Kirk's former chief of staff read out an public message to the Oxford Union on a related program podcast.
The letter criticized the union of becoming a place where "student leaders openly applaud the killing of a political opponent".
The communication indicated that if Mr Abaraonye were to remain in post, supporters would "personally contact every U.S. political figure who has ever graced the union's chamber and urge them never again to lend their name".
The society had previously condemned the student's comments after Kirk's death and stated that concerns submitted about him had been forwarded for disciplinary proceedings.
The student leader had been one of multiple members to debate with Kirk at the union in May.