🔗 Share this article Oxford Union Future Leader Removed Due to Conservative Activist Comments Charlie Kirk and George Abaraonye participated in a debate at the Oxford Union in spring The president-elect of the prestigious debating society has been ousted from office after losing a no-confidence vote that came after his disputed social media posts about Charlie Kirk. The motion against the student leader achieved the necessary two-thirds threshold to remove him from office, according to an statement from the organization. Disputed Comments The controversy erupted after Mr Abaraonye reportedly posted messages on online platforms that seemed to welcome the killing of Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot while speaking at a college in Utah. According to reports, one social media message reportedly stated "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an elongated version of the phrase 'lol'. The student leader is also reported to have posted in a WhatsApp chat with fellow students seeming to welcome the incident. Vote Outcome The vote of confidence took place over the weekend, with outcomes announced on Tuesday. Society announcements showed that 1,228 ballots were cast in favor of removal, while just over five hundred were against the motion. The announcement confirmed that the president-elect was deemed to have stepped down in accordance with the Oxford Union's rules. The student society announced the result of the confidence motion on this week Procedural Disputes Voting operations were informally suspended early on the previous day after the election official was reportedly subjected to "obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility" from multiple individuals. In a statement, the student asserted that the count had been stopped 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 engaged in intimidating or disruptive behavior. Continuing Controversy The student stated that significant concerns had been submitted to the disciplinary committee and that he continued as the elected leader. His comment added that he was "grateful and honored to have the support of well in excess of a majority of university members" who voted to have a "safe election and resist attempts to subvert democracy". Opponents have said that any failure to remove him would "signal to the world that the society has chosen ideology over integrity". The conservative activist was shot dead while addressing a college in last month External Reactions On Friday, Kirk's former chief of staff presented an public message to the Oxford Union on a related program broadcast. The message accused the union of becoming a institution where "student leaders publicly celebrate the killing of a ideological rival". The communication indicated that if Mr Abaraonye were to remain in post, Kirk's allies would "directly reach out to every U.S. political figure who has ever spoken at the society and advise them against future participation". The society had previously criticized the student's remarks after the activist's killing and confirmed that concerns submitted about him had been referred for official review. The president-elect had been one of several students to discuss with the activist at the society in spring.