George Abaraonye launches new attack on murdered activist as Liz Truss demands expulsion from Oxford over ‘shameful’ celebration of shooting
President-elect of Oxford Union, George Abaraonye, has launched a new attack on Charlie Kirk, defending his comments where he celebrated the shooting of the political activist.
The 20-year-old Politics, Philosophy and Economics student said: “My words were no less insensitive than his, arguably less so; the difference is that I had the humility to recognise when I strayed from my core values, and I addressed it immediately upon reflection.”
Mr Kirk was killed on Wednesday after being shot in the neck at a university campus in Utah. Mr Abaraonye initially said, “Charlie Kirk got shot, let’s f***ing go” before apologising for the remark amid criticism.
Defiant Response to Backlash
Despite initially apologising, Abaraonye has now mounted a defence of his controversial comments, expressing disappointment at the response he has received.
“I am not perfect, but I am willing to reflect, to learn, and to remain true to my values,” he told the New Statesman. It is disheartening that those who hurl abuse at me are often the same who claim to value free speech and oppose ‘cancel culture,’ yet apply those principles inconsistently.
The University student had previously debated Mr Kirk about toxic and traditional masculinity and male suicide rates at the Oxford Union in May. The debate had remained civil despite their disagreements, with Kirk reportedly telling Abaraonye afterwards to “think about” their exchange.
Abaraonye’s initial messages, sent to a WhatsApp group for Oxford Union members, included “Charlie Kirk got shot, let’s f***ing go” accompanied by a prayer emoji, which some interpreted as thanking God for Kirk’s death. A separate Instagram post read “Charlie Kirk got shot loool,” an elongated version of “laugh out loud.”
Liz Truss Demands Expulsion
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss called for the student to be expelled, writing on X: “The Chancellor of @UniofOxford, @WilliamJHague should show some mettle and expel George Abaraonye from Oxford University. He has brought shame on Oxford and shame on Britain.”
Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform UK, told The Telegraph: “Free speech enables him to say this, but it also shows he is not fit to be president and should be fired from his post and expelled from the university.
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau also weighed in, threatening to strip visas from foreign nationals who “glorify violence and hatred.” He responded to a post condemning Abaraonye’s words with an image styled as a Batman spotlight with “El Quitavisas” in the corner, Spanish for “the visa remover.”
Student Defends Position
Mr Abaraonye deleted the messages and initially apologised, but noted he was disappointed by the response to his comments. The student said: “I’ve been troubled to see members of the media ignore my retraction and self-reflection. It is right to call out the insensitivity of my initial reaction.”
But the irony is not lost on me that many of those now threatening violence and hurling abuse toward me, and toward people who look like me, have shown no interest in holding Charlie Kirk to the same standard when he mocked children killed by gun violence or excused the deaths of women and children abroad.
In his initial apology, Abaraonye had stated: “Those words did not reflect my values. To be clear: nobody deserves to be the victim of political violence. Nobody should be harmed or killed for the views they hold. I may have disagreed strongly with Mr Kirk’s politics, but in death we all deserve respect, and I extend my condolences to his family and loved ones.
Oxford Union Condemns Comments
On Saturday, the Union said it “unequivocally condemned Abaraonye’s comments.” In a statement it wrote: “His reported views do not represent the Oxford Union’s current leadership or committee’s view.”
The Union is unable to immediately sack Mr Abaraonye, as it needs 150 members to sign a petition demanding a confidence vote. James Price, a former Oxford Union president, announced he had resigned as the honorary secretary of Oxford Literary Debating & Union Trust, the Oxford Union’s charity arm, calling Abaraonye’s response to criticism “psychopathic.
“The callousness of the Union’s President-Elect has shocked me, but I also can’t accept the lack of intervention on the issue,” Price wrote whilst sharing a lengthy resignation letter.
Campus Division and Support
The student is a well-known and popular figure on campus, ranking fifth in a recent “big names on campus” list published by student newspaper Cherwell. He is also vice-president of the popular African and Caribbean Society.
Oxford Stand Up to Racism declared on Instagram “We Stand With George Abaraonye” and called for an end to the “racist witch-hunt.” Oxford Pakistan Society announced it had cancelled all events with the Union because of the “racist and classist targeting” of its president-elect.
Oxford African Caribbean Society issued a statement condemning the “anti-black and anti-migrant rhetoric,” racial abuse, and death threats directed towards Abaraonye amongst the backlash to his comments.
The Union has shut off comments on posts about Mr Abaraonye. However, other posts have been flooded with comments demanding his resignation. One user wrote: “Two-tier justice strikes again,” and another said: “Your society is disgraceful.
Questions Over Qualifications
Question marks about Mr Abaraonye’s qualifications have been raised, with his ABB A-Level results below the usual three As required to get into Oxford. The Daily Sceptic reported that Abaraonye won his PPE place with just ABB grades even though the course required AAA grades, suggesting he had been rejected by at least one less highly-regarded university.
Past comments made by Abaraonye have gone viral, increasing scrutiny over whether he is fit to serve as Oxford Union’s next president. In previous remarks cited by Price, Abaraonye had said: “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.”
A spokesman for Oxford University said: “The Oxford Union is independent of the university. We deplore comments appearing to endorse violence, they are unacceptable and entirely contrary to the values of our community.”
Adrian Hilton, a philosophy lecturer and honorary research fellow at the University of Buckingham, said: “I don’t think the President-Elect, George Abaraonye, is fit to become President of the Oxford Union: he brings the Society into disrepute.”
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