Student Society Future Leader Removed Following Conservative Activist Comments
The future president of the prestigious debating society has been removed from his position after failing a vote of confidence that came after his disputed online comments about Charlie Kirk.
The motion against the student leader reached the required super-majority to oust him from his position, according to an announcement from the organization.
Disputed Comments
The dispute began after the student reportedly shared messages on social media that seemed to celebrate the killing of the American conservative figure, who was shot dead while addressing a college in Utah.
According to sources, one social media message reportedly stated "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an extended form of the phrase 'lol'.
The president-elect is also reported to have written in a WhatsApp chat with other members seeming to welcome the incident.
Vote Outcome
The no-confidence motion took place over the weekend, with outcomes revealed on Tuesday.
Official notices indicated that 1,228 ballots were cast in favor of removal, while just over five hundred were opposed the motion.
The notice confirmed that the president-elect was considered 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 "interference, threats, and inappropriate behavior" from several representatives.
In a response, the student asserted that the count had been stopped because electoral officials believed "no legitimate and true result could be reached as a result of process errors".
His response unequivocally denied that any representative appointed by the student had participated in intimidating or disruptive behavior.
Continuing Controversy
The student maintained that extremely serious issues had been submitted to the disciplinary committee and that he remained the elected leader.
His statement added that George was "grateful and honored to have the backing of significantly more than half of university members" who supported a "safe election and resist attempts to subvert democracy".
Opponents have said that any decision to keep him would "demonstrate internationally that the society has prioritized politics over principles".
External Responses
On recently, Mikey McCoy read out an open letter to the Oxford Union on The Charlie Kirk Show podcast.
The message criticized the union of becoming a institution where "student leaders publicly celebrate the assassination of a ideological rival".
The statement indicated that if Mr Abaraonye were to keep his position, Kirk's allies 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 Oxford Union had previously condemned Mr Abaraonye's remarks after the activist's killing and stated that complaints filed against him had been referred for official review.
The president-elect had been one of several students to debate with Kirk at the union in May.