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The student president-elect of the vaunted Oxford Union debate society will be disciplined for heartlessly celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk, whom he debated just months ago.
Oxford student George Abaraonye, who is the president of the historic debate club founded in 1823, callously cheered when he heard Kirk was shot and killed — and is now facing the repercussions.
“Charlie Kirk got shot, let’s f–king go,” Abaraonye, 20, posted on WhatsApp on Wednesday.
“Charlie Kirk got shot loool,” the depraved debater wrote on Instagram in another message.
The third year Philosophy, Politics, and Economics undergrad met Kirk and debated face-to-face back in May, during which the president-elect showed up in sweatpants and a T-shirt.
Abaraonye challenged Kirk to expand on his claims that younger generations of boys are being negatively affected by the wider culture, which tamps down masculinity.
“It’s a very good faith question, thank you,” Kirk said to Abaraonye while they squared off over podiums.
The two did come to loggerheads over the issue of “infantilization of young men” and “toxic femininity,” which Abarayone suggested was a byproduct of an “oppressive system.”
When asked what could contribute to happiness in men is, in part, “openness to allowing men to express themselves any way they want.”
Abaraonye’s expression of glee at Kirk’s death, however, is not resulting in his happiness.
The Oxford Student Union revealed on Saturday that the president-elect will face discipline for his “inappropriate remarks” but maintained that he will not be dismissed from his position, which was previously held by prime ministers Boris Johnson and Tony Blair.
“We emphasize that these are his personal views and not those of the Union, nor do they represent the values of our Institution,” Oxford Union said in a statement posted to X.
Stay up to date on the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk
“The Oxford Union has always been one of the world’s foremost defenders of free speech. We will continue to defend freedom of expression in all its forms,” the statement read.
The group further stated that while they don’t have the power to dismiss a president-elect, they will review complaints filed against Abaraonye “with the utmost seriousness.”
Following the public backlash against his statements, Abaraonye issued a half-hearted apology, saying he “reacted impulsively” — but couldn’t stop himself from justifying his depraved joy.
“Those words did not reflect my values,” Abaraonye said, according to The Guardian. “At the same time, my reaction was shaped by the context of Mr. Kirk’s own rhetoric — words that often dismissed or mocked the suffering of others.”
He went on to claim Kirk made “horrific and dehumanising statements” about the LGBTQ and trans community and Hamas.
