Britain’s most hard‑line headteacher said “woke ideology” in schools was to blame after the president‑elect of the Oxford Union was revealed to have posted messages celebrating the shooting of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
George Abaraonye, a 20‑year‑old Oxford student who is due to take up the prestigious presidency of the historic debating society, reportedly wrote on social media after the shooting, “Charlie Kirk got shot, let's f***ing go,” and on Instagram, “Charlie Kirk got shot loool.” The posts were subsequently deleted. Abaraonye later described the remarks as “impulsive” and said they did not reflect his values.
Katharine Birbalsingh, founder of Michaela Community School in Wembley and known for strict discipline and high academic standards, wrote on X that the comments were a product of “wokeness” in schools. She said that teaching young people that left‑wing views on race, sexuality and religion represent moral truth had encouraged a readiness to “defend… by any means necessary.” Birbalsingh added that the posts showed a lack of understanding of the “sanctity of life” and called the episode a consequence of “moral degeneracy.”
The Oxford Union, an independent debating society, said it “unequivocally condemned” the words and that complaints had been forwarded for disciplinary proceedings. The university said it “deplored” the posts. James Price, the honorary secretary of the Oxford Literary Debating & Union Trust, which owns the Union’s buildings, resigned in protest at the comments.
University College, where Abaraonye studies, said that while the comments were “abhorrent,” they did not contravene the college’s policies and that no disciplinary action would be taken, according to Baroness Valerie Amos, the college’s master. The college’s decision reflects a distinction made by some institutions between reprehensible speech and conduct that breaches specific institutional rules.
Abaraonye, who has been prominent in student life — serving as events officer of the university’s Arab Society and founding a hip‑hop society where he was nicknamed the “headphone guy” — attended Chelsea Academy, a state Church of England school, and qualified for free school meals. He achieved ABB A‑level grades before beginning a Politics, Philosophy and Economics degree.
The exchange in question followed a debate earlier in the year in which Abaraonye and Kirk appeared at the Union. Media coverage of that event noted Abaraonye’s casual clothing. Birbalsingh referenced his appearance in remarks that also criticised schools for failing to teach standards of dress and decorum.
The episode has amplified wider tensions on British campuses and in public life over free speech, campus culture and political polarization. The Oxford Union, founded in 1823 and independent of the university, has frequently hosted contentious figures and debates; its role as a forum for free expression has often drawn public scrutiny when speakers or participants provoke strong reactions.
Officials at Chelsea Academy and other parties contacted for comment had not issued a statement. The Union said it would consider the complaints it had received and that further action would follow the outcome of any internal processes. Abaraonye’s advisers and student representatives said he had apologised for the posts and emphasised that they were made in the heat of the moment.