As David pointed out last month, both he and I have an interest in free speech, debate and the Oxford Union which is a debating society in Oxford England which has been around for just over 200 years.
Often the debates at the Oxford Union, which are formal affairs in which individuals or sometimes groups debate for or against a given proposition, are pretty interesting to listen to. Both sides prepared their best arguments and try to win over the audience through persuasion. And at the end of the debate the audience votes whether the proposition is supported or not.
But recently, the Oxford Union has fallen on its face, thanks in part to a new president-elect named George Abaraonye who had debated with Charlie Kirk in May. But the real problem happened after Kirk was murdered last month. That's when Abarayonye posted statements on social media mocking his death.
I have been sent internal @OxfordUnion group chats by an anonymous member showing comments from George Abaraonye, the incoming President-Elect, celebrating Charlie Kirk's m*rder. Some of these messages have not previously been made public.
— Colin Wright (@SwipeWright) September 12, 2025
The chats include memes posted by… pic.twitter.com/TK5x2kKWow
The chats include memes posted by Abaraonye with captions like “we’re back,” messages stating “CHARLIE KIRK GOT SHOT LOOOL” and “CHARLIE KIRK GOT SHOT LET’S FUCKING GO 🙏,” a post implying Kirk deserved to be murdered for being “pro-guns,” and a reference to a “scoreboard” suggesting Kirk’s m*rder put them ahead.
Abaraonye has since said he “reacted impulsively” to the news of Kirk’s murder and that his comments “did not reflect [his] values.”
The Oxford Union condemned the remarks.
— Oxford Union (@OxfordUnion) September 11, 2025
But the reaction went well beyond that. People started withholding donations and some invited speakers refused to come speak so long as George Abaraonye remained president-elect.
Oxford Union is facing a financial crisis after its president-elect appeared to celebrate the killing of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk last month.
Donations believed to be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds have been put on hold and speakers have pulled out of debates in backlash to remarks made by incoming president George Abaraonye, sources have told The Telegraph...
An Oxford Union official told The Telegraph: “Honestly, it feels like it’s [the union] lost its identity. We’re used to controversy but this has been complete and utter turmoil.
"I’m worried if George Abaraonye stays, there will be no future for the union.
“How can you have a free speech society where the incoming president celebrates the death of a free speech activist?”
Abaraonye is allowed to make hateful comments but is someone who celebrates the death of an invited speaker (and someone he personally debated) really suited to lead one of the world's foremost debating societies? Lots of people thought the answer was no and a vote of no-confidence was held over the weekend. Today, the result of that vote was published and George Abaraonye has been removed.
The president-elect of the Oxford Union has lost a no-confidence vote after he was criticised for comments appearing to celebrate the death of Charlie Kirk.
The motion against George Abaraonye had met the required two-thirds threshold to oust the student from his position, the society has announced.
There was even more drama Sunday when some members were accused of using intimidation tactics and the proceedings were briefly suspended Monday.
Proceedings were informally suspended early on Monday after the returning officer was allegedly subjected to "obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility by a number of representatives", a notice said.
In a statement, Mr Abaraonye claimed the count had been halted because electoral officials believed "no legitimate and true result could be reached as a result of procedural failures".
"We unequivocally deny that any representative appointed by George engaged in intimidating or disruptive behaviour," his statement stated.
What Abaraonye actually said in his statement was "we equivocally deny..." any disruptive behavior. [The reference to ABB has to do with his grades prior to university.]
George Abaraonye, in his tantrum statement after losing the Oxford Union no confidence vote, says “we EQUIVOCALLY deny” rather than “we unequivocally deny”.
— Chloe Dobbs (@DobbsandPolicy) October 21, 2025
That’s ABB for you!
This comes after he said in a previous statement that his words were “no less insensitive” than… pic.twitter.com/7McHZPjJ7k
In any case, Abaraonye is claiming that the vote was unreliable and that he is still the president-elect of the Oxford Union.
Mr Abaraonye, 20, contested the results, claiming he “remains the president-elect”. He claimed the poll was “compromised” and he did not know “if or how many proxy votes have been tampered with”...
After the results were announced, Mr Abaraonye’s team released a statement which read: “This poll was compromised from the moment Moosa Harraj [president of the Oxford Union] and his majority on the Standing Committee brought compromised and untested Poll Regulations.
I don't think that's going to fly but I guess we'll see. A two-thirds vote was required and 70% voted against him.
Justice has been delivered.
— Turning Point UK 🇬🇧 (@TPointUK) October 21, 2025
President-elect of the @OxfordUnion George Abaraonye has lost the vote of not confidence.
Abaraonye celebrated the death of Charlie and has no place leading the Oxford Union.
Thank you to everyone who stood up for Charlie’s legacy. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/zW19PGDpag
This isn't the only trouble the Oxford Union has had lately. They've gone through several presidents in a short time.
In June 2024, an election tribunal disqualified Ebrahim Osman Mowafy, who had been elected as the first Arab President of the Oxford Union in March 2024, from the post of president-elect. Mowafy was the third President of the Union—and fifth officer—to be removed from elected office within 18 months.
Finally, here's a bit of his debate with Abaraonye from May. Abaraonye's dress seemed inappropriate. He was able to make some points but ultimately didn't really have an answer for Kirk's challenge about what works for men in society (other than getting married, having kids and being a provider).
