Student Society President-Elect Removed Following Charlie Kirk Comments
The president-elect of the prestigious debating society has been ousted from office after losing a no-confidence vote that came after his controversial online comments about the conservative activist.
The vote against the student leader achieved the necessary super-majority to remove him from office, according to an statement from the organization.
Disputed Comments
The dispute erupted after Mr Abaraonye reportedly shared messages on online platforms that seemed to welcome the killing 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 extended form of the acronym for 'laughing out loud'.
The president-elect is also said to have written in a WhatsApp chat with other members seeming to welcome the incident.
Vote Outcome
The vote of confidence took place over the weekend, with results announced on this week.
Official notices indicated that 1,228 ballots were cast supporting removal, while just over five hundred were opposed the motion.
The announcement stated that the future president was considered to have stepped down in following the society's regulations.
Procedural Disputes
Voting operations were temporarily halted early on Monday after the returning officer was allegedly subjected to "interference, threats, and inappropriate behavior" from multiple individuals.
In a statement, the student asserted that the vote tally 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 person appointed by the student had participated in threatening or obstructive conduct.
Continuing Controversy
The student stated that significant concerns had been submitted to the governing body and that he remained president-elect.
His statement added that he was "proud and thankful to have the support of significantly more than half of students at Oxford" who voted to have a "safe election and resist attempts to subvert democracy".
Critics have said that any decision to keep him would "demonstrate internationally that the society has prioritized politics over principles".
External Reactions
On Friday, Mikey McCoy read out an public message to the Oxford Union on The Charlie Kirk Show broadcast.
The letter criticized the society of becoming a place where "student leaders openly applaud the killing of a political opponent".
The communication indicated that if Mr Abaraonye were to keep his position, supporters would "personally contact every U.S. political figure who has ever spoken at the society and advise them against future participation".
The Oxford Union had earlier condemned the student's remarks after Kirk's death and stated that concerns submitted about him had been referred for official review.
The president-elect had been one of multiple members to debate with Kirk at the union in spring.