🔗 Share this article Student Society President-Elect Removed Due to Conservative Activist Posts Charlie Kirk and George Abaraonye participated in a debate at the student society in May The president-elect of the Oxford Union has been ousted from office after failing a no-confidence vote that followed his disputed social media posts about Charlie Kirk. The motion against the student leader reached the necessary two-thirds threshold to remove him from office, according to an statement from the society. Contentious Posts The dispute erupted after Mr Abaraonye reportedly posted messages on online platforms that seemed to welcome the killing of the American conservative figure, 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 extended form of the acronym for 'laughing out loud'. The student leader is also said to have posted in a WhatsApp chat with other members appearing to express approval of the event. Election Results The vote of confidence took place over the recent days, with outcomes announced on this week. Society announcements indicated that over twelve hundred votes were cast supporting no confidence, while just over five hundred were against the motion. The announcement stated that the future president was considered to have stepped down in accordance with the society's regulations. The student society announced the outcome of the no-confidence vote on this week Procedural Disputes Voting operations were temporarily halted early on Monday after the returning officer was allegedly subjected to "obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility" from multiple individuals. In a response, Mr Abaraonye asserted that the count had been halted because election administrators believed "no legitimate and true result could be reached as a result of process errors". His statement unequivocally denied that any person appointed by the student had participated in threatening or obstructive conduct. Continuing Controversy The student maintained that significant concerns had been referred to the governing body and that he remained 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 "secure voting process and oppose efforts to undermine the electoral process". Opponents have argued that any decision to keep him would "demonstrate internationally that the society has chosen ideology over integrity". Charlie Kirk was fatally shot while addressing a college in last month External Responses On recently, Kirk's former chief of staff read out an open letter to the Oxford Union on a related program podcast. The letter accused the union of becoming a place where "presidents of the union openly applaud the killing of a political opponent". The statement indicated that if the student were to remain in post, supporters would "directly reach out to every American political speaker who has ever spoken at the society and advise them against future participation". The Oxford Union had previously condemned Mr Abaraonye's comments after the activist's killing and stated 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 society in May.