Student Society Future Leader Removed Due to Charlie Kirk Comments
The president-elect of the Oxford Union has been removed from his position after failing a vote of confidence that followed his disputed social media posts 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 began after the student reportedly shared messages on social media that seemed to celebrate the death of Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead while addressing a college in Utah.
According to reports, one Instagram post reportedly read "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an elongated version of the acronym for 'laughing out loud'.
The president-elect is also said to have written in a messaging group with other members seeming to welcome the incident.
Vote Outcome
The vote of confidence was conducted over the recent days, with results revealed on Tuesday.
Official notices showed that over twelve hundred votes were cast supporting removal, while 501 were against the motion.
The notice stated that the president-elect was considered to have resigned in following the Oxford Union's rules.
Election Controversies
Proceedings were informally suspended early on the previous day after the returning officer was allegedly subjected to "interference, threats, and inappropriate behavior" from several representatives.
In a response, 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 procedural failures".
His response categorically refuted that any representative appointed by George had engaged in intimidating or disruptive behavior.
Continuing Controversy
The president-elect stated that significant concerns had been submitted to the governing body and that he continued as the elected leader.
His statement added that he was "proud and thankful to have the backing of significantly more than half of university members" who voted to have a "secure voting process and oppose efforts to undermine the electoral process".
Opponents have said that any decision to keep him would "signal to the world that the society has chosen ideology over integrity".
External Reactions
On Friday, Kirk's former chief of staff read out an open letter to the Oxford Union on a related program broadcast.
The letter accused the society of becoming a institution where "student leaders openly applaud the assassination of a political opponent".
The statement warned that if Mr Abaraonye were to remain in post, supporters would "directly reach out to every American political speaker who has ever graced the union's chamber and advise them against future participation".
The society had previously condemned the student's comments after the activist's killing and confirmed that complaints submitted about him had been forwarded for disciplinary proceedings.
The president-elect had been one of several students to discuss with the activist at the union in spring.