Student Society President-Elect Removed Following Charlie Kirk Comments
The future president of the prestigious debating society has been removed from his position after failing a no-confidence vote that came after his controversial social media posts about the conservative activist.
The motion against the student leader achieved the required two-thirds threshold to oust him from his position, according to an statement from the society.
Disputed Comments
The controversy erupted after the student reportedly posted messages on online platforms that seemed to welcome the killing of Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead while speaking at a university in Utah.
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 said to have posted in a WhatsApp chat with fellow students appearing to welcome the incident.
Election Results
The no-confidence motion was conducted over the weekend, with outcomes announced on Tuesday.
Official notices indicated that 1,228 ballots were cast supporting no confidence, while 501 were against the motion.
The notice stated that the president-elect was considered to have stepped down in following the society's regulations.
Procedural Disputes
Voting operations were informally suspended early on the previous day after the returning officer was allegedly subjected to "obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility" from multiple individuals.
In a response, the student asserted that the count had been stopped because electoral officials believed "no valid outcome could be reached as a result of process errors".
His statement categorically refuted that any person acting for the student had engaged in intimidating or disruptive behavior.
Continuing Controversy
The student stated that significant concerns had been submitted to the disciplinary committee and that he remained 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 "safe election 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 Responses
On Friday, Mikey McCoy presented an public message to the society on a related program podcast.
The letter criticized the union of becoming a institution where "student leaders publicly celebrate the assassination of a political opponent".
The communication indicated that if the student were to remain in post, Kirk's allies would "personally contact every American political speaker who has ever graced the union's chamber and urge them never again to lend their name".
The Oxford Union had earlier criticized Mr Abaraonye's remarks after the activist's killing and stated that concerns filed against him had been forwarded for disciplinary proceedings.
The president-elect had been one of multiple members to discuss with the activist at the union in spring.