Student Society President-Elect Ousted Following Charlie Kirk Comments

The president-elect of the Oxford Union has been ousted from office after losing a vote of confidence that followed his disputed online comments about Charlie Kirk.

The motion against the student leader achieved the required super-majority to remove him from office, according to an statement from the organization.

Disputed Comments

The controversy began after the student reportedly posted messages on social media that appeared to welcome the killing of Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead while speaking at a college in Utah.

According to sources, one Instagram post reportedly stated "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an extended form of the phrase 'lol'.

The student leader is also reported to have written in a WhatsApp chat with fellow students seeming to welcome the incident.

Vote Outcome

The vote of confidence was conducted over the weekend, with outcomes revealed on Tuesday.

Society announcements indicated that 1,228 ballots were cast supporting removal, while just over five hundred were opposed the motion.

The notice confirmed that the president-elect was considered to have resigned in accordance with the Oxford Union's rules.

Election Controversies

Voting operations were informally suspended early on the previous day after the returning officer was reportedly subjected to "interference, threats, and inappropriate behavior" from multiple individuals.

In a response, the student claimed that the vote tally had been halted because electoral officials believed "no valid outcome could be reached as a result of process errors".

His statement unequivocally denied that any person appointed by the student had engaged in intimidating or disruptive behavior.

Ongoing Dispute

The president-elect stated that extremely serious issues had been referred to the governing body and that he continued as president-elect.

His comment added that George was "grateful and honored to have the support of well in excess of a majority of students at Oxford" who supported a "secure voting process and resist attempts to subvert democracy".

Opponents have said that any failure to remove him would "demonstrate internationally that the society has prioritized politics over principles".

External Responses

On Friday, Kirk's former chief of staff presented an public message to the society on a related program broadcast.

The message criticized the union of becoming a place where "presidents of the union publicly celebrate the assassination of a ideological rival".

The communication indicated that if Mr Abaraonye were to keep his position, Kirk's allies would "personally contact every U.S. political figure who has ever spoken at the society and urge them never again to lend their name".

The society had earlier criticized Mr Abaraonye's comments after the activist's killing and stated that concerns filed against him had been forwarded for disciplinary proceedings.

The student leader had been one of several students to discuss with Kirk at the society in spring.