🔗 Share this article Student Society Future Leader Removed Due to Charlie Kirk Posts Charlie Kirk and George Abaraonye participated in a discussion at the Oxford Union in spring The future president of the prestigious debating society has been removed from his position after failing a no-confidence vote that came after his disputed online comments about Charlie Kirk. The vote against the student leader reached the required two-thirds threshold to oust him from his position, according to an statement from the society. Disputed Comments The dispute began after the student reportedly shared messages on online platforms that seemed to celebrate the death of the American conservative figure, who was shot dead while speaking at a university in Utah. According to reports, one Instagram post reportedly read "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an extended form of the phrase 'lol'. The president-elect is also said to have written in a WhatsApp chat with other members appearing to welcome the incident. Vote Outcome The vote of confidence was conducted over the recent days, with outcomes announced on this week. Society announcements showed that 1,228 ballots were cast supporting no confidence, while 501 were against the motion. The announcement confirmed that the president-elect was deemed to have resigned in accordance with the Oxford Union's rules. The student society shared the result of the no-confidence vote on this week Procedural Disputes Proceedings were temporarily halted early on Monday after the returning officer was allegedly subjected to "interference, threats, and inappropriate behavior" from several representatives. In a response, Mr Abaraonye asserted that the vote tally had been stopped because electoral officials believed "no legitimate and true result could be reached as a result of procedural failures". His response unequivocally denied that any representative appointed by George had engaged in intimidating or disruptive behavior. Continuing Controversy The president-elect stated that significant concerns had been submitted to the disciplinary committee and that he remained the elected leader. His comment added that he was "proud and thankful to have the backing of well in excess of a majority of students at Oxford" who voted to have a "secure voting process and resist attempts to subvert democracy". Critics have argued that any failure to remove him would "signal to the world that the society has chosen ideology over integrity". Charlie Kirk was shot dead while addressing a college in last month External Responses On recently, Kirk's former chief of staff presented an open letter to the Oxford Union on a related program broadcast. The letter criticized the society of becoming a institution where "student leaders openly applaud the assassination of a political opponent". The statement indicated that if Mr Abaraonye were to remain in post, Kirk's allies would "personally contact every American political speaker who has ever spoken at the society and urge them never again to lend their name". The Oxford Union had previously condemned Mr Abaraonye's remarks after Kirk's death and confirmed that concerns filed against him had been referred for official review. The president-elect had been one of multiple members to discuss with Kirk at the union in spring.