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The president-elect of the prestigious debating society has been removed from his position after losing a vote of confidence that came after his controversial online comments about Charlie Kirk.

The motion against George Abaraonye reached the required super-majority to oust him from his position, according to an statement from the society.

Contentious Posts

The controversy erupted after Mr Abaraonye reportedly shared messages on online platforms that appeared to welcome the killing of Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead while speaking at a university in the United States.

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

The president-elect 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 recent days, with results revealed on Tuesday.

Society announcements indicated that 1,228 ballots were cast in favor of removal, while 501 were against the motion.

The announcement stated that the future president was deemed to have stepped down in accordance with the Oxford Union's rules.

Procedural Disputes

Voting operations were temporarily halted early on the previous day after the election official was allegedly subjected to "interference, threats, and inappropriate behavior" from several representatives.

In a statement, Mr Abaraonye asserted that the vote tally had been halted because electoral officials believed "no legitimate and true result could be reached as a result of process errors".

His response unequivocally denied that any representative appointed by the student had participated in threatening or obstructive conduct.

Ongoing Dispute

The president-elect maintained that extremely serious issues had been submitted to the disciplinary committee and that he remained president-elect.

His comment added that George was "proud and thankful to have the support of well in excess of a majority of university members" who supported a "secure voting process and oppose efforts to undermine the electoral process".

Critics have argued that any decision to keep him would "signal to the world that the Oxford Union has prioritized politics over principles".

External Reactions

On Friday, Kirk's former chief of staff read out an public message to the society on The Charlie Kirk Show broadcast.

The letter accused the union of becoming a place where "presidents of the union openly applaud the killing of a political opponent".

The communication indicated that if Mr Abaraonye were to remain in post, supporters would "personally contact every U.S. political figure who has ever graced the union's chamber and advise them against future participation".

The Oxford Union had previously criticized the student's remarks after the activist's killing and confirmed that complaints filed against him had been referred for official review.

The student leader had been one of multiple members to debate with the activist at the union in spring.