Calls intensified for the removal of Oxford Union president-elect George Abaraonye after messages he posted online celebrated the fatal shooting of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk, prompting condemnation from the Union and a call for action from Conservative shadow education secretary Laura Trott.
Abaraonye, a 20-year-old politics, philosophy and economics student at Oxford University who won election earlier this year to become president-elect of the historic debating society, deleted the messages and issued an apology after they circulated widely. In one alleged WhatsApp message he wrote, "Charlie Kirk got shot, let's f****** go," and an Instagram post reportedly read, "Charlie Kirk got shot loool."
"I don't think you get to celebrate a political assassination and be the head of an Oxford Union," Trott told GB News, saying Abaraonye was not an "appropriate person" to lead the society despite issuing an apology. She also added that while she opposed "hounding this person out of their future potential," the comments were disqualifying for the role.
Abaraonye told the New Statesman that his initial reaction was insensitive and that he had apologised on reflection. He said threats and abuse directed at him and others who look like him had followed the posts, and argued there had been a failure by some to hold Kirk to account for his past remarks about victims of gun violence and civilians killed abroad.
Kirk, 31, a founder and chief executive of the US youth group Turning Point USA and an ally of former President Donald Trump, was shot and killed at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. The circumstances of the shooting remain under investigation by US authorities.
The Oxford Union said in a social media statement that it "condemns the incoming president's inappropriate remarks" and emphasised those comments did not represent the values of the society. The statement also condemned "racial abuse and threats" aimed at Abaraonye, saying: "No individual should ever be attacked because of the colour of their skin or the community they come from. Threats to his life are abhorrent."
The Union reiterated its commitment to free speech while warning that "free speech cannot and will not come at the expense of violence, intimidation or hate." It added that the body "does not possess executive powers to summarily dismiss a president-elect" but confirmed that complaints had been "forwarded for disciplinary proceedings and will be addressed with the utmost seriousness."
An Oxford University spokeswoman said the Union is independent of the university and that comments endorsing violence are "unacceptable and entirely contrary to the values of our community."
Abaraonye and Kirk previously clashed during an Oxford Union debate in May on "toxic masculinity," a discussion captured on video in which the pair appeared to disagree but kept the exchange civil. Abaraonye is active in campus life, having served as events officer of the university's Arab Society and founding the HipHopSoc, and has been profiled in student publications.
The unfolding dispute has highlighted tensions between defending a forum for robust and sometimes provocative debate and responding to online speech that appears to celebrate violence. The Oxford Union said its duty was to show that disagreement should be expressed through debate and dialogue rather than abuse or threats, and that it would pursue the complaints it had received through its disciplinary processes.
As the Union prepares for its next session, its leadership faces calls from politicians and members of the public to determine what, if any, sanction is appropriate. The society's statement made clear its limited formal power over a president-elect and signalled that any measures would follow the Union's internal procedures.
The investigations and disciplinary review are ongoing, and the Union said it would address the matter "with the utmost seriousness."