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The future president of the Oxford Union has been removed from his position after losing a vote of confidence that followed his disputed online comments about the conservative activist.

The motion against George Abaraonye reached the required two-thirds threshold to remove him from office, according to an statement from the society.

Disputed Comments

The controversy began after Mr Abaraonye reportedly shared messages on social media that seemed to welcome the death of Charlie Kirk, 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 elongated version of the phrase 'lol'.

The president-elect is also said to have written in a WhatsApp chat with other members seeming to welcome the incident.

Vote Outcome

The no-confidence motion took place over the weekend, with results announced on Tuesday.

Society announcements showed that over twelve hundred votes were cast in favor of removal, while 501 were opposed the motion.

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

Procedural Disputes

Voting operations were informally suspended early on the previous day after the election official was allegedly subjected to "obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility" from several representatives.

In a response, the student claimed 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 statement categorically refuted that any person appointed by George had engaged in intimidating or disruptive behavior.

Continuing Controversy

The student maintained that extremely serious issues had been referred to the disciplinary committee and that he continued as the elected leader.

His statement added that he 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 resist attempts to subvert democracy".

Opponents have said that any failure to remove him would "demonstrate internationally that the Oxford Union has chosen ideology over integrity".

External Reactions

On Friday, Kirk's former chief of staff read out an public message to the Oxford Union on a related program podcast.

The message accused the union of becoming a institution where "presidents of the union openly applaud the assassination of a ideological rival".

The statement warned that if Mr Abaraonye were to keep his position, supporters would "directly reach out to every American political speaker who has ever graced the union's chamber and advise them against future participation".

The society had previously criticized the student's comments after Kirk's death and stated that concerns filed against him had been referred for official review.

The student leader had been one of several students to debate with Kirk at the union in May.