An Oxford University student who leads an influential debating society there could lose his leadership role because of his remarks about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
The society’s president-elect, George Abaraonye will face a vote of no confidence on Oct. 18 that could result in his removal by members of the Oxford Union.
Founded in 1823, the Oxford Union has counted among its officers numerous future leaders, including British Prime Ministers Edward Heath and Harold Macmillan. It has hosted many famous speakers, from U.S. President Ronald Reagan to Albert Einstein.
In May, Abaraonye participated in an Oxford Union debate with Kirk, who founded the group Turning Point USA. The conservative activist thanked the student after the exchange, which touched on everything from the concept of “toxic masculinity” to the causes of suicide among men.
The student won the presidency of the Oxford Union in June.
Several months later, just after Kirk was shot at a public university event in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10, Abaraonye wrote in a student group chat: “Charlie Kirk got shot. Let’s [expletive] go.”
He also referenced the shooting in a story on Instagram, using a variation on the initialism “lol”—short for “laughing out loud.”
On an Oct. 14 episode of the podcast “What’s Left,” Abaraonye said his statements and actions had been misrepresented, though he acknowledged the Instagram story and group chat comment were real.
“At the time, I didn’t know anything about the situation,” he said. “Heat of the moment, you’re not really thinking things through very much, and you kind of react instantly.”
Abaraonye said that at that point, he had not seen a widely circulated video of the shooting, which led to Kirk’s death.
He said he had retracted and deleted the comments and apologized, elaborating on what he described as his “qualified apology.”
“Not only do I want people to obviously see that I’m remorseful for the comments I made and for the way people interpreted them and understood them, but also, that that reaction comes in a context,” he said, adding that he reacted because of “the political climate with which [sic] Charlie Kirk stoked.”
Venture capitalist Josh Wolfe publicly withdrew from an expected speaking engagement at the Oxford Union, citing Abaraonye’s comments. Others have withdrawn or declined to participate in events there on similar grounds.
An open letter from former presidents and other leaders of the Oxford Union calls on Abaraonye to resign.
“We do not question your right to speak your mind about Charlie Kirk’s murder,” the letter states. “However, your public reaction to a fatal shooting displayed a callousness inconsistent with the Union President’s duty to safeguard free and open debate, rendering it untenable for you to accede to the Office of President.”
The letter also questions Abaraonye’s unwillingness to offer what it calls “an explicit and unqualified apology for your celebration of Mr Kirk’s murder.”
The Oxford Union vote comes just days after President Donald Trump posthumously awarded Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
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