Back in May, the late Charlie Kirk traveled to Oxford Union, where he did what he did best: engaged in debate. The topics ranged from abortion to trans rights to the Democratic Party's boogeyman 'Project 2025.' One of the people Kirk debated was George Abaraonye.
Following Kirk's assassination on September 10, Abaraonye posted a disgusting message in a WhatsApp group chat celebrating Kirk's death.
George Abaraonye, the incoming Oxford Union President, is alleged to have openly celebrated Charlie Kirk’s shooting in a WhatsApp group chat.
— Nicholas Lissack (@NicholasLissack) September 11, 2025
Frankly shocking, especially given he debated Kirk at the Union earlier this year.
A vile and utterly sickening display. pic.twitter.com/CB2g71yyAm
Fox News reported Abaraonye made a similar comment on his Instagram account, writing "Charlie Kirk got shot loool."
Abaraoney is the president-elect of Oxford Union, and after being contacted about his social media comments, the Union declined to take disciplinary action against him.
Oxford University has confirmed it will take no action against Union President-elect George Abaraonye.
— Nicholas Lissack (@NicholasLissack) September 12, 2025
He openly cheered Charlie Kirk’s murder, and this cowardly response is every bit as revolting.
The Left have no shame, and this will only fuel worse rhetoric. pic.twitter.com/8gnh6ONabY
Oxford Union did issue a statement condemning Abaaonye's remarks:
The Oxford Union would like to unequivocally condemn the reported words and sentiments expressed by the President-Elect, George Abaraonye, with regards to the passing of Charlie Kirk," Oxford Union wrote in a statement released Thursday. "His reported views do not represent the Oxford Union's current leadership or committee's view. The current administration has, under President Moosa Harraj, no association with, and is entirely independent from, Mr. Abaraonye's administration.
In alignment with the statement published by our Society earlier today, we reaffirm our stance that the Oxford Union firmly opposes all forms of political violence and strongly stands by our commitment to free speech and considerate debate. We would like to reiterate that our condolences lie with Charlie Kirk's family, especially his wife and young children, who are enduring such terrible grief.
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Now James Price, honorary secretary of the Oxford Literary Debating & Union Trust and a former Union President, has resigned his post in protest:
I have resigned as the honorary secretary of the Oxford Literary Debating & Union Trust, the charity that owns the @OxfordUnion’s buildings, and dispenses its charitable responsibilities onto the Union as its delegate.
— James Price (@jamespriceglos) September 12, 2025
The callousness of the Union’s President-Elect has shocked… pic.twitter.com/lcyHq45rCU
The letter reads:
I write to you today regarding the behaviour of the Oxford Union’s President-Elect regarding the evil assassination of Charlie Kirk in the United States.
I am afraid that I do not see this as just another scandal that we need to encourage the Union to handle. I see this as existential. OLDUT’s delegate is about to be run by someone who gloried in the political assassination of a man whom he had debated in the Oxford Union chamber just months ago.
And instead of apologising, the President-Elect has doubled down, listing all the reasons why Mr Kirk was a terrible person with views so abhorrent that his murder was merely ‘ironic’. This is a psychopathic response from someone who has no intention of/or perhaps ability to, feel shame.
He will, like many recent Presidents, deliberately traduce and ruin the reputation of the Oxford Union to enhance his personal brand, one that involves attacking institutions like the one we are supposed to protect. This is actively different to the scandals of previous generations; then scandal was a bug or side effect. Now, it is the whole point. Mr Abaraonye will not be the last to try this.
This cannot be business as usual, and trustees need to understand the fundamental paradigm shift that has happened in the Union, the university, and the country. These people do not care about the Union; they never will. They do not care about free expression or open debate; they merely wear our precious freedoms as a costume until they can use them to attack that which is sacred to us. As it appears OLDUT is unwilling to act, I cannot in good conscience remain as the honorary secretary.
This is also personal to me; in a much smaller way I appear in the media talking about politics, and I already have a wife who is concerned that she or I will suffer violence as a result. I thereby resign as the Honorary Secretary of the Oxford Literary and Debating Union Trust. I hope this helps spur the wonderful trustees to realise the dangers we face.
I am so sorry to leave you in the lurch, and will of course hand over all of the various physical and digital documents, and conduct whatever handovers are necessary in good faith and to the best of my ability.
I will finish with the words of the President-Elect, whom it seems advocated for violent retaliation in our very chamber, feet away from where he had debated Charlie Kirk. This is the measure of the man we are not going to prevent from becoming President.
“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 down by any means necessary.”
In his comments on X, Price said, "The callousness of the Union’s President-Elect has shocked me, but I also can't accept the lack of intervention on the issue. The trust is full of the most incredible people. I hope this ultimately helps, in a tiny way, a great British institution that I care so much about."
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