George Abaraonye, president-elect of the University of Oxford's debating union, is facing calls to resign after he appeared to celebrate the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, The Telegraph reported.
Abaraonye sent messages to a group chat saying, "Charlie Kirk got shot, let's [expletive] go" and "Charlie Kirk got shot loool."
Gregory Stafford, a Conservative MP and former treasurer of the Oxford Union, said Abaraonye has brought the society "into disrepute."
"To give the impression of endorsing violence against a recent guest of the society is wholly incompatible with the traditions of free speech, respect and integrity that the Union stands for," Stafford said in a letter to the Oxford Union. "Disciplinary action must therefore be taken. I urge Mr. Abaraonye to be suspended from office pending a full and impartial investigation."
Abaraonye had debated Kirk about toxic masculinity this past May when Kirk visited the Oxford Union, The Telegraph reported.
In a statement, Abaraonye said that while nobody should be killed for the views they hold, his "raw, unprocessed response" was shaped by the context of Kirk's rhetoric.
"Words that often dismissed or mocked the suffering of others," Abaraonye said. "He described the deaths of American children from school shootings as an acceptable 'cost' of protecting gun rights. … These were horrific and dehumanizing statements."
His comments stirred outrage on both sides of the pond.
"Ghouls," Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, said on social media, also highlighting other comments people made celebrating Kirk's death. "Morally deficient heartless monsters who are celebrating the death of someone because they disagree on politics and policy- not realizing they are what drives political violence."
Toby Young, director of the Free Speech Union, described Abaraonye's comments as "foolish" but said he should not be penalized for them.
"People are rightly criticizing him for celebrating Charlie Kirk's death," Young told The Telegraph. "But he should not be penalized by the Oxford Union or the university for saying something offensive but perfectly lawful. That's free speech."
The Oxford Union did not respond to a comment from The Telegraph on whether it would take disciplinary action against Abaraonye.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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