The Oxford Union debating society’s incoming president lost a vote of confidence due to his comments regarding the killing of Charlie Kirk, a conservative figure in the United States.
George Abaraonye faced a vote of no confidence after controversial remarks about Charlie Kirk’s shooting. Kirk was assassinated by a suspected gunman Tyler Robinson on September 10.
501 voters supported George Abaraonye, while 1,228 voted against him, according to the voting results. A total of 1,746 individuals voted on Saturday, both in person and by proxy, with 17 ballots invalid or void, Sky News reported.
George Abaraonye claims voting was ‘compromised’
Abaraonye has disputed the results, stating that the poll was “compromised.”
According to a statement released on his behalf, the returning officer who conducted the voting “shared around the email account collecting proxy votes” and suggests that his votes may have been “tampered with” as a result, as per BBC.
The outcome follows Monday’s informal suspension of the voting process because of “an impossible working atmosphere”.
The returning officer was the target of “obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility by a number of representatives”, as per the notice.
George Abaraonye’s insensitive comment about Charlie Kirk shooting
Abaraonye filed the motion of no confidence against himself in response to the widespread criticism he received in September for his remarks regarding Kirk’s shooting.
In a WhatsApp conversation with fellow students, Abaraonye said, “Charlie Kirk got shot, let’s f****** go.” His Instagram post stated, “Charlie Kirk got shot loool,” which caused a stir, according to reports, Sky News reported.
Last week, Abaraonye stated in a YouTube interview last week that the media had “misrepresented” him as he didn’t know the US influencer had passed away when he uploaded the posts.
“I reacted poorly, I reacted very quickly. At the time I didn’t know anything about the situation,” he said.
In May, Abaraonye had met Kirk at an Oxford Union debate on toxic masculinity. Last month, the union denounced his remarks and initiated disciplinary action. They also denounced the racial harassment and threats that Abaraonye has encountered.
BACKGROUND:
George Abaraonye was removed as President-Elect of the Oxford Union following a vote of no confidence triggered by messages he sent celebrating the assassination of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Although elected in June 2025, Abaraonye never assumed the presidency after 1,228 members voted to oust him compared to 501 in support, a result he disputes as “compromised” due to alleged procedural failures and vote tampering.
Controversial Remarks sparked the crisis on September 10, 2025, when Abaraonye posted “Charlie Kirk got shot loool” on Instagram and wrote “Charlie Kirk got shot, let’s f****** go” in a WhatsApp group shortly after Kirk was killed at a Utah Valley University event. While he later apologized, stating the words were an impulsive reaction that did not reflect his values, the Oxford Union leadership unequivocally condemned his sentiments, and he faced significant backlash including calls for expulsion from prominent political figures and racial abuse online.
Disputed Removal Process saw Abaraonye’s camp claim the returning officer shared email accounts used for collecting proxy votes, allowing opponents unsupervised access to potentially tamper with ballots. Despite the disciplinary committee confirming his resignation in early 2026, Abaraonye maintained he remained the President-Elect under Union rules until appeals were resolved, while supporters argued the vote was rigged using forged student ID cards.
