Alumni of the Oxford Union are requesting the resignation of President-elect George Abaraonye after congratulatory messages he sent about the shooting of TPUSA Founder Charlie Kirk were revealed.
Abaraonye sent a message on WhatsApp reacting to the shooting of Kirk in real time on September 10.
“CHARLIE KIRK GOT SHOT LET’S F***ING GO [emoji],” and “SCOREBOARD FN,” he said.
Later, Abaraonye related that he was reacting to the shooting reports before Kirk was confirmed dead, and said “[t]hose words did not reflect my values” and deleted them as soon as he learned of Kirk’s passing.
The “concerned alumni” of the Oxford Union responded to Abaraonye’s comments in their request-for -esignation letter sent last month to the student.
“Whatever one’s political views, one cannot deny that Mr Kirk promoted free speech,” the alumni wrote. “He did not confine his mission to his own country: in May 2025, Mr Kirk visited the United Kingdom and spoke at both the Oxford Union and our sister society in Cambridge. In fact, you yourself debated Mr Kirk at the Oxford Union. As has been well-noted, he drew both respect and ire for his enthusiasm for debate on university campuses. It was whilst engaging in this mission that Mr Kirk was murdered.”
George Abaraonye debated Charlie Kirk this May at Oxford University.
According to the National Review, “Over the weekend, a no-confidence motion against Abaraonye met the required two-thirds threshold to remove him from his position. The society published a notice on Tuesday that 1,228 ballots were cast in favor of no confidence, while 501 were against.” The decision calls for his resignation.
However, Abaraonye is disputing the decision. He defended himself in a statement, criticizing the alumni’s overall power over the Union.
“Alumni, just like all members, can express their views about the governance of the society. While I take their letter seriously, I also appreciate that they represent less than 5 percent of the former members of our governing body of the Oxford union over the last few decades. I am at the behest of the entire membership and all our members who have the right to exercise democratic methods when determining who governs our society, as they always have and always will,” the student wrote.
