Student Society President-Elect Removed Due to Charlie Kirk Comments
The future president of the prestigious debating society has been ousted from office after failing a vote of confidence that came after his controversial online comments about Charlie Kirk.
The motion against the student leader achieved the required two-thirds threshold to oust him from his position, according to an statement from the organization.
Contentious Posts
The dispute erupted after the student reportedly posted messages on social media that appeared to celebrate the killing of Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot while speaking at a college in the United States.
According to reports, one social media message 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 messaging group with fellow students appearing to welcome the incident.
Vote Outcome
The no-confidence motion was conducted over the weekend, with results revealed on Tuesday.
Official notices showed that 1,228 ballots were cast in favor of no confidence, while just over five hundred were opposed the motion.
The notice stated that the president-elect was deemed to have resigned in accordance with the society's regulations.
Election Controversies
Proceedings were temporarily halted early on Monday after the election official was allegedly subjected to "obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility" from several representatives.
In a response, Mr Abaraonye asserted that the count had been halted because election administrators believed "no valid outcome could be reached as a result of process errors".
His response unequivocally denied that any person acting for the student had participated in threatening or obstructive conduct.
Ongoing Dispute
The president-elect stated that extremely serious issues had been referred to the governing body and that he continued as 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".
Critics have argued that any decision to keep him would "demonstrate internationally that the Oxford Union has chosen ideology over integrity".
External Responses
On recently, Kirk's former chief of staff presented an public message to the Oxford Union on a related program podcast.
The letter accused the society of becoming a place where "student leaders openly applaud the killing of a ideological rival".
The communication indicated that if the student were to remain in post, Kirk's allies would "directly reach out to every American political speaker who has ever spoken at the society and advise them against future participation".
The society had earlier condemned the student's remarks after Kirk's death and stated that complaints filed against him had been referred for official review.
The president-elect had been one of multiple members to discuss with Kirk at the society in May.