🔗 Share this article

The future president of the Oxford Union has been removed from his position after failing a no-confidence vote that came after his controversial online comments about Charlie Kirk.

The vote against the student leader reached the necessary super-majority to oust him from his position, according to an statement from the society.

Disputed Comments

The dispute erupted after Mr Abaraonye reportedly shared messages on online platforms that appeared to celebrate the death of the American conservative figure, who was fatally shot while speaking at a university in Utah.

According to sources, one social media message reportedly read "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an elongated version of the acronym for 'laughing out loud'.

The student leader is also reported to have posted in a messaging group with fellow students seeming to welcome the incident.

Election Results

The vote of confidence was conducted over the recent days, with outcomes announced on Tuesday.

Society announcements showed that 1,228 ballots were cast in favor of no confidence, while 501 were opposed the motion.

The notice stated that the president-elect was considered to have stepped down in following the society's regulations.

Procedural Disputes

Proceedings were informally suspended early on the previous day after the election official was reportedly subjected to "interference, threats, and inappropriate behavior" from multiple individuals.

In a statement, Mr Abaraonye claimed that the count had been halted because electoral officials believed "no legitimate and true result could be reached as a result of process errors".

His response categorically refuted that any representative appointed by the student 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 the elected leader.

His comment added that he was "grateful and honored to have the support of significantly more than half of students at Oxford" who supported a "safe election and oppose efforts to undermine the electoral process".

Opponents have said that any decision to keep him would "signal to the world that the Oxford Union has chosen ideology over integrity".

External Reactions

On recently, Kirk's former chief of staff read out an public message to the society on The Charlie Kirk Show broadcast.

The message accused the society of becoming a place where "presidents of the union openly applaud the assassination of a political opponent".

The communication warned that if Mr Abaraonye were to remain in post, Kirk's allies would "personally contact every American political speaker who has ever spoken at the society and urge them never again to lend their name".

The society had earlier criticized Mr Abaraonye's remarks after the activist's killing and confirmed that concerns submitted about him had been forwarded for disciplinary proceedings.

The president-elect had been one of multiple members to debate with the activist at the union in May.