The Oxford Union said its incoming president will face disciplinary proceedings after investigators were notified that he sent messages celebrating the fatal shooting of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
George Abaraonye, a 20-year-old politics, philosophy and economics student at the University of Oxford and president-elect of the debating society, posted what the Union described as "inappropriate remarks" online following the attack that killed Kirk, a 31-year-old co-founder and chief executive of the youth organisation Turning Point USA and a prominent supporter of former President Donald Trump. Abaraonye has deleted the messages and apologised.
News reports said Abaraonye sent a message in a WhatsApp group that read, "Charlie Kirk got shot, let's f****** go," and posted on Instagram, "Charlie Kirk got shot loool." He later issued an apology and said he had reflected on his reaction. The Oxford Union said it had forwarded complaints against Abaraonye for disciplinary action and that they would be "addressed with the utmost seriousness," while stressing the remarks represented his personal views and not those of the society.
In a public statement posted on social media, the world-famous debating society condemned both the incoming president's comments and the racial abuse and threats he had since received. "No individual should ever be attacked because of the colour of their skin or the community they come from," the statement said, calling threats to his life "abhorrent" and saying such rhetoric had no place online or in society. The statement also reiterated the Union's defence of free speech, while noting that "free speech cannot and will not come at the expense of violence, intimidation or hate."
The Oxford Union noted that, as an independent student society, it "does not possess executive powers to summarily dismiss a president-elect," but said it had forwarded complaints for disciplinary proceedings. The society said its duty was to show that disagreement should be expressed through "debate and dialogue, not through abuse or threats."
Abaraonye has been active in several student groups at Oxford, serving as events officer of the university's Arab Society and founding HipHopSoc. Student publications have recently described him as a prominent campus figure. He and Kirk met during an Oxford Union debate on "toxic masculinity" in May; a video of their interaction showed the pair disagreed but maintained a civil exchange.
Responding to the backlash in an interview with the New Statesman, Abaraonye said it was "right to call out the insensitivity of my initial reaction." He added that he had recognised the comment as a departure from his values and had addressed it "immediately upon reflection," and criticised what he described as inconsistent standards applied to Kirk's public remarks on other tragedies.
An Oxford University spokeswoman said the Union is independent of the university and added: "We deplore comments appearing to endorse violence - they are unacceptable and entirely contrary to the values of our community." The Union, founded in 1823 and long considered one of the world's leading debating societies, counts a range of historical figures among those who have participated in its events.
The proceedings now pending within the Union will determine whether further sanctions are appropriate. The society said it would handle the complaints in line with its rules and its stated commitment to promoting debate without intimidation or hate.