🔗 Share this article

The future president of the Oxford Union has been removed from his position after losing a vote of confidence that followed his disputed social media posts about Charlie Kirk.

The vote against the student leader achieved the necessary super-majority to oust him from his position, according to an announcement from the organization.

Disputed Comments

The dispute erupted after Mr Abaraonye reportedly shared messages on online platforms that seemed to welcome the death of Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead while speaking at a university in Utah.

According to reports, 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 said to have written in a WhatsApp chat with other members appearing to express approval of the event.

Vote Outcome

The no-confidence motion took place over the weekend, with results announced on Tuesday.

Official notices showed that 1,228 ballots were cast supporting removal, while just over five hundred were opposed the motion.

The notice confirmed that the president-elect was considered to have stepped down in following the Oxford Union's rules.

Procedural Disputes

Proceedings were temporarily halted early on Monday after the election official was reportedly subjected to "obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility" from multiple individuals.

In a statement, the student asserted that the vote tally had been halted because electoral officials believed "no valid outcome could be reached as a result of procedural failures".

His response categorically refuted that any person appointed by the student had participated in threatening or obstructive conduct.

Continuing Controversy

The president-elect maintained that significant concerns had been referred to the governing body and that he remained president-elect.

His statement added that he was "grateful and honored to have the backing of significantly more than half of students at Oxford" who voted to have a "secure voting process and oppose efforts to undermine the electoral process".

Critics have argued that any failure to remove him would "signal to the world that the society has chosen ideology over integrity".

External Reactions

On recently, Mikey McCoy read out an open letter to the society on The Charlie Kirk Show podcast.

The letter accused the society of becoming a institution where "presidents of the union publicly celebrate the killing of a political opponent".

The statement indicated that if the student were to keep his position, supporters would "personally contact every American political speaker who has ever graced the union's chamber and advise them against future participation".

The Oxford Union had earlier condemned Mr Abaraonye's comments after Kirk's death and confirmed that complaints submitted about 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.