Student Society President-Elect Removed Due to Charlie Kirk Posts

The future president of the Oxford Union has been removed from his position after failing a no-confidence vote that followed his controversial social media posts about the conservative activist.

The vote against the student leader achieved the necessary super-majority to oust him from his position, according to an statement from the organization.

Contentious Posts

The dispute erupted after Mr Abaraonye reportedly shared messages on online platforms that appeared to celebrate the death of Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot while addressing 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 president-elect is also reported to have written in a WhatsApp chat with other members seeming to express approval of the event.

Vote Outcome

The no-confidence motion was conducted over the recent days, with outcomes announced on Tuesday.

Official notices showed that 1,228 ballots were cast in favor of removal, while 501 were opposed the motion.

The notice stated that the future president was deemed to have resigned in following the Oxford Union's rules.

Election Controversies

Voting operations were temporarily halted early on the previous day after the election official was allegedly subjected to "obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility" from multiple individuals.

In a statement, the student claimed that the count had been halted because electoral officials believed "no legitimate and true result could be reached as a result of process errors".

His response categorically refuted that any person acting for the student had participated in threatening or obstructive conduct.

Ongoing Dispute

The student maintained that significant concerns had been submitted to the governing body and that he continued as president-elect.

His statement added that he was "proud and thankful to have the support of well in excess of a majority of university members" who voted to have a "secure voting process and resist attempts to subvert democracy".

Critics have said that any decision to keep him would "signal to the world that the society has prioritized politics over principles".

External Reactions

On recently, Kirk's former chief of staff presented an public message to the Oxford Union on The Charlie Kirk Show podcast.

The message accused the union of becoming a place where "student leaders publicly celebrate the killing of a political opponent".

The statement warned that if the student were to keep his position, supporters would "personally contact 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 remarks after Kirk's death and confirmed that concerns submitted about him had been referred for official review.

The president-elect had been one of multiple members to discuss with the activist at the union in May.