The Oxford Union president who celebrated Charlie Kirk’s sho0ting is set to be ousted.
George Abaraonye, 20, sparked outrage last month by posting a WhatsApp message appearing to approve of the violence against the US influencer.
He later deleted the message after learning of Mr Kirk’s death, and admitted he ‘acted poorly’ without ‘knowing about the situation’.
Now, the Oxford University student has triggered a motion of no confidence against himself in a bid to reclaim ‘true accountability’.
According to Mail Online, there will be a poll on Saturday when Oxford Union members can vote on whether to oust him.
Mr Abaraonye is hoping enough people vote in his favour so that he can continue in his role with renewed legitimacy.
He posted on Instagram: ‘On Saturday, 18th October, there will be a poll of the members to decide whether or not I should be removed as President-Elect of the Oxford Union. ‘Vote NO. As I will be doing.’
It means there will be a poll on Saturday when Oxford Union members can vote on whether to oust him.
Mr Abaraonye is hoping enough people vote in his favour so that he can continue in his role with renewed legitimacy.
He posted on Instagram: ‘On Saturday 18th October there will be a poll of the members to decide whether or not I should be removed as President-Elect of the Oxford Union. ‘Vote NO. As I will be doing.’
Mr Abaraonye will be forced to resign as president-elect if two thirds of those taking part in the poll vote against him.
The Oxford Union is a 200-year-old debating society for Oxford students and alumni which is independent from university management.
The furore erupted after Mr Abaraonye, a second-year philosophy, politics and economics student, appeared to celebrate the sniper attack on the US influencer in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
He posted social media messages on the evening of September 10, including one saying: ‘Charlie Kirk got shot, let’s f—— go’ – a common celebratory phrase among Gen Z.
In a YouTube interview this week, he claimed he had been ‘misrepresented’ by the media because he hadn’t realised Kirk had died when he posted the messages.
He said: ‘I reacted poorly, I reacted very quickly. At the time I didn’t know anything about the situation.
‘I retracted and deleted my comments, and the stories came out a day later saying I celebrated his death. But at this point I had no clue.’
Asked if he would have said it if he’d seen the video of the shooting, he said: ‘No’.
