The Oxford Union Society on Thursday condemned its president-elect after reports that he celebrated the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a development that has prompted public outcry and calls for his removal.
George Abaraonye, who was elected president-elect of the famed Oxford debating society in June, allegedly posted messages on WhatsApp and Instagram expressing pleasure at Kirk’s death, according to reporting by The Telegraph. In the group chat he is reported to have written, "Charlie Kirk got shot, let’s f---ing go," accompanied by a prayer emoji. A post on Instagram reportedly read, "Charlie Kirk got shot loool." The posts circulated after Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot Wednesday at a campus event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He was 31.
The current Oxford Union leadership sought to distance the society from Abaraonye’s reported remarks. "The Oxford Union would like to unequivocally condemn the reported words and sentiments expressed by the President-Elect, George Abaraonye, with regards to the passing of Charlie Kirk," the society said in a statement. It said the views "do not represent the Oxford Union's current leadership or committee's view," and that the current administration under President Moosa Harraj has no association with Abaraonye’s incoming administration. The statement affirmed that the Oxford Union "firmly opposes all forms of political violence" and "strongly stands by our commitment to free speech and considerate debate," and it offered condolences to Kirk’s family.
The posts and the society’s response have drawn criticism from public figures and members of the academic community, some of whom urged university action. Former British prime minister Liz Truss wrote on social media that the chancellor of the University of Oxford, William Hague, "should show some mettle and expel George Abaraonye from Oxford University. He has brought shame on Oxford and shame on Britain." British commentator David Vance wrote that the union’s words would be meaningless "if George Abaraonye becomes president."
Adrian Hilton, a philosophy lecturer and honorary research fellow at the University of Buckingham, said Abaraonye was not fit to lead the society and warned that the president often has responsibility for inviting high-profile speakers. James Price, a former Oxford Union president, resigned from his role as honorary secretary of the Union’s charity arm, the Oxford Literary Debating & Union Trust, saying in a resignation letter that he could not accept what he described as a lack of intervention over the issue. "The callousness of the Union’s President-Elect has shocked me," Price wrote.
Abaraonye and Kirk met onstage in May at an Oxford Union debate on the topic of "toxic masculinity," a confrontation that was described as tense. Past statements attributed to Abaraonye that surfaced after the recent posts heightened scrutiny of his fitness for the presidency. In one passage cited by Price, Abaraonye reportedly wrote, "At times, there is simply nothing else that can be required except for violent retaliation. And this is a view I wholeheartedly agree with; the view that some institutions are too broken, too oppressive to be reformed, like cancers of our society. And they must, and they should be taken by any means necessary."
Oxford University and representatives of the Oxford Union did not immediately respond to requests for additional comment beyond the statement issued Thursday. Student conduct procedures and potential disciplinary measures, including university expulsion, are handled separately from the Union’s internal governance.
Calls for Abaraonye’s removal have also played out on social media, where some commentators urged the Union and the university to act quickly. The Oxford Union’s formal distancing of its current committee underscores a separation between the outgoing officers and the incoming administration, but it does not by itself alter the status of Abaraonye’s election.
Kirk’s death has prompted reactions across the United States and abroad, intensifying debate over political rhetoric and campus safety. Investigations into the shooting and university responses to security at the event remain ongoing. The Oxford Union statement said the society stands by its commitment to debate while opposing political violence, and it reiterated condolences to Kirk’s family amid the unfolding investigation and public reaction.