George Abaraonye once debated Kirk at the prestigious union but lost a vote of confidence following a leaked Whatsapp message and an Instagram post.
The president-elect of the Oxford Union has been voted out of the role following comments he made celebrating the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
In a leaked message in a WhatsApp chat, 20-year-old George Abaraonye wrote, “Charlie Kirk got shot, let’s (expletive) go,” while a story he shared on his Instagram account read, “Charlie Kirk got shot loool.”
Members of the influential student union voted in person on Saturday in a motion of no confidence in the incoming president, who will not be allowed to take up the highly prestigious position.
The Oxford Union posted on X on Tuesday morning, “The Motion of No Confidence against Mr. Abaraonye has met the required two-thirds threshold and has therefore passed.”
A total of 1,228 members voted for the motion, while 501 members voted against it. The union shared a letter stating that in accordance with its rules, Abaraonye is now “deemed to have resigned.”
Racism Claim Following Criticism
In May, Abaraonye participated in an Oxford Union debate with Kirk, who founded conservative youth organization Turning Point USA. Kirk thanked the student after the exchange, which touched on a range of subjects from “toxic masculinity” to the causes of suicide among men.
Kirk was shot and killed at a Utah Valley University event four months later, on Sept. 10, with authorities calling it a political assassination. A 22-year-old man, Tyler Robinson, is charged with his murder.
Abaraonye, who was elected president of the union in June, claimed he was a victim of harassment, racism, and the “far right” after he received widespread criticism for his comments following Kirk’s death.
On an Oct. 14 episode of the podcast “What’s Left,” Abaraonye said his statements and actions had been misrepresented in the media, but acknowledged the Instagram post and group chat comment were genuine.
The student said he had “reacted instantly” when he sent the messages and claimed not to have seen the widely circulated footage of the shooting at the time. He said that while he apologized for the offence caused, he had made the comments because of the “political climate,” which he said was stoked by Kirk.
The third-year student deleted the WhatsApp message after learning of Kirk’s death, and admitted he “acted poorly” in sending it.
