Student Society President-Elect Ousted Following Charlie Kirk Posts
The president-elect of the Oxford Union has been ousted from office after failing a vote of confidence that came after his controversial online comments about the conservative activist.
The motion against the student leader reached the required super-majority to oust him from his position, according to an announcement from the society.
Contentious Posts
The controversy began after the student reportedly posted messages on online platforms that appeared to welcome the death of Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead while speaking at a university in Utah.
According to sources, one Instagram post reportedly stated "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an extended form of the phrase 'lol'.
The president-elect is also reported to have written in a WhatsApp chat with other members appearing to welcome the incident.
Election Results
The no-confidence motion was conducted over the recent days, with outcomes revealed on this week.
Official notices showed that 1,228 ballots were cast supporting removal, while 501 were opposed the motion.
The notice confirmed that the president-elect was deemed to have stepped down in following the Oxford Union's rules.
Election Controversies
Proceedings were informally suspended early on Monday after the election official was reportedly subjected to "interference, threats, and inappropriate behavior" from multiple individuals.
In a statement, Mr Abaraonye asserted that the vote tally had been halted because election administrators believed "no valid outcome could be reached as a result of process errors".
His response categorically refuted that any representative appointed by the student had participated in threatening or obstructive conduct.
Ongoing Dispute
The student maintained that significant concerns had been referred to the disciplinary committee and that he continued as the elected leader.
His comment added that he was "proud and thankful to have the support of well in excess of a majority of students at Oxford" who voted to have a "safe election and oppose efforts to undermine the electoral process".
Opponents have said that any decision to keep him would "demonstrate internationally that the Oxford Union has chosen ideology over integrity".
External Responses
On recently, Mikey McCoy presented an public message to the society on a related program podcast.
The message criticized the society of becoming a institution where "presidents of the union openly applaud the assassination of a political opponent".
The communication warned 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 urge them never again to lend their name".
The Oxford Union had previously criticized Mr Abaraonye's comments after Kirk's death and stated that concerns filed against him had been referred for official review.
The president-elect had been one of several students to debate with Kirk at the union in spring.
