🔗 Share this article Oxford Union President-Elect Removed Following Conservative Activist Posts The activist and student leader took part in a debate at the student society in spring The president-elect of the Oxford Union has been removed from his position after losing a no-confidence vote that followed his controversial online comments about Charlie Kirk. The motion against George Abaraonye achieved the required super-majority to remove him from office, according to an statement from the society. Disputed Comments The dispute began after the student reportedly shared messages on social media that seemed to celebrate the killing of Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot while speaking at a university in Utah. According to sources, one Instagram post reportedly read "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an extended form of the phrase 'lol'. 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 took place over the weekend, with outcomes announced on Tuesday. Official notices indicated that over twelve hundred votes were cast in favor of no confidence, while just over five hundred were against the motion. The notice confirmed that the future president was deemed to have stepped down in accordance with the Oxford Union's rules. The Oxford Union announced the result of the confidence motion on this week Election Controversies Voting operations were informally suspended early on Monday after the returning officer was reportedly subjected to "obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility" from several representatives. In a response, the student asserted 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 statement categorically refuted that any representative appointed by George had engaged in intimidating or disruptive behavior. Ongoing Dispute The student maintained that extremely serious issues had been referred 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 supported a "safe election and resist attempts to subvert democracy". Critics have argued that any failure to remove him would "signal to the world that the Oxford Union has prioritized politics over principles". Charlie Kirk was fatally shot while speaking at a university in September External Responses On recently, Kirk's former chief of staff presented an open letter to the society on a related program broadcast. The message accused the union of becoming a institution where "presidents of the union publicly celebrate the killing of a political opponent". The statement warned that if Mr Abaraonye were to remain in post, supporters would "personally contact every U.S. political figure who has ever spoken at the society and urge them never again to lend their name". The Oxford Union had earlier condemned the student's comments after Kirk's death and confirmed that complaints filed against 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 spring.