Oxford Union alumni will descend on city to try to oust president-elect

Hm. Hoping that this guy gets 'taken down' by a lot of email proxies.
Also hoping that those who voted when he won the election, and even more so those failed to vote might wake up (the number voting when he was elected was lower than usual).

At times there is simply nothing else that can be required other than violent retaliation. And this is a view I wholeheartedly agree with. The view that some institutions are too broken, too regressive, too oppressive to be reformed, like cancers of our society. They must, and they should be taken down, by any means necessary.
—George Abaraonye

Yes it’s an absolute non apology and he has some front implying he has made a sincere apology.
Not surprised Jolyon has got involved, absolutely typical of his combination of publicity hunger and terrible judgement.

Because I worked in UK universities until a decade ago I am fascinated in how things are now. George Abaraonye is reported (Oxford Mail www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/25553300.oxford-unions-george-abaraonye-we-will-not-silenced/) as having submitted a motion of no confidence in himself in an attempt to reclaim “true accountability and (reaffirm) that the Oxford Union must remain a place where students can make mistakes, apologise sincerely, and learn from them”.

So I looked for the sincere apology. This is all I could find. From the site www.restorerespectoxfordunion.co.uk/ and I think they are right to describe it as a 'conditional apology, widely described as mealy-mouthed'. His words reported there are: "my reaction was shaped by the context of Mr. Kirk’s own rhetoric" and that "my words were no less insensitive than his – arguably less so; the difference is that I had the humility to recognize when I strayed from my core values".

Looking back to whether he was elected by a significant margin (he was) and what his nearest rival (Chapman) offered I found this. Chapman’s campaign emphasized her experience as a long-serving member of the Union committees, an appointed as well as an elected officer whose work spans debates and fundraising efforts alike. Her vision for the union included the launching of an alumni network and increasing revenue through paid opportunities.
Abaraonye’s campaign centered on his desire to remove the focus on student politics to make the Union ‘more enjoyable’ for its members. His plans include working towards “fixing disciplinary processes” and “separating private business
from the debates”. www.oxfordstudent.com/2025/06/14/george-abaraonye-wins-ht26-oxford-union-presidency/#google_vignette

Its interesting that he was going to fix the disciplinary process as - prior to the vote of no confidence - he was reported and being investigated (I think) as part of it. He does seem to have been elected on a 'not taking things too seriously' ticket and so if the adults can press reset the Oxford Union will benefit. I picked up in my searches that he also posted about the late Queen and accused her of genocide. So he won't stop trying to post to shock. And he does not show contrition for this latest stunt. I hope he loses.

I saw George's social media for vote "no" (i.e. he should stay President-elect) which was mainly screenshots of racist vitriol against him posted on X.

Obvious I condemn this racism. That he is experiencing this, logically, has nothing to do with whether voters should have confidence in him.

It's ironically illogical from someone who is supposed to have studied formal logic (and debates) although what mark he got in it is anybody's guess.

Probably the delay is challenging members' voting via email.

The supposition on Twitter is that the delay is being caused by a legal challenge. I wonder if the kimonoed one has found a new cause on which to spend legal fees.

his comments were actually made before he realised Charlie Kirk was dead

Oh, so he was just happy that Kirk had been harmed/injured, not that he had been killed. That's far less psychopathic, isn't it?

No, it isn't. Rational people are shocked when someone is hurt/injured/shot at. HTH.

Apparently Jolyon Maugham has thrown his weight behind Abaraonye. The article ends with a “he’s bound to lose now..”.🤔
order-order.com/2025/10/17/campaign-for-charlie-kirk-oxford-union-president-welcomes-support-from-jolyon-maugham/

Exactly this. All day.

You can strongly support free speech (I do), but still have boundaries. He celebrated murder. That’s beyond the pale imo. I’m not suggesting he should be harmed or sent down. I am suggesting he should be “sacked” as president of a debating club since apparently he thinks it’s funny when people he disagrees with get shot.

I dont see this as a free speech issue. It’s a character and a value issue.

No one is saying he cant say it. He’s said it. And thats a good thing because it allowed him to show us who he is.

You really think it would be ok for a woman head or not of a feminist movement/ organisation to celebrate the murder of a transwomen. And that we here would support that?!? Insane. No I can assure you we would not. So I dont see how this has anything to do with us and our free speech.

Anyway the voted are in. Let’s see what Oxford is made of.

False news, sorry. The results aren't in yet. This is certainly what we hope for but the count is ongoing.

George Abaraonye has been removed as President-Elect of the Oxford Union in a confidence motion by the required two thirds majority.
That majority came largely from life members, who either voted by proxy or returned to Oxford today. The adults had to step in. The system worked.

https://x.com/DanielJHannan/status/1979674103381684413?t=CMcVEIR2CpZ2CQ8plqyqLg&s=19

The right result.

Tbh if he had any decency he'd just resign. I'd respect that. I really disrespect him trying to cling on and if he succeeds, I'll be disgusted with the institution and lose respect for that too.

Events like this are the entire reason the no confidence process exists. But he should just remove himself.

This is the ideal way to address it. There's a no confidence process in place at the OU and it has been put into effect. He holds a position where he represents an august institution and many people. He's behaved utterly disgracefully, albeit legally, and now the people he represents can vote on whether or not they want him to remain. The vote may go in his favour although I hope it doesn't.

I've not seen any calls to hound or arrest him (I'm sure you could find them online if you look hard enough but I'm talking about a significant movement). He represents this institution, now it gets to decide if he really does or not. I can't see anything improper or untoward. Due process, among the people involved.

In fairness, I now see that he asked for the vote. But it happens often, that people are disappointed by those they elected. There's more than one way of addressing it, and this way seems guaranteed to maximise kerfuffle. Which may have been his objective....

What do you mean, lynching? He's acted in a way completely unbecoming to his position and now the people he represents get to vote on whether or not they want him to retain that position, as per due process. What's the electoral distortion? What's the metaphorical lynching?

Trial by combat? Force him to debate and win an appropriately worded motion?

Many clubs have elected officials who can be unseated if they break the law or the club rules or behave unbecomingly (eg the Bar Council). This does hand considerable discretionary power to the committee. But I'm not too sure about the alternative of distorting the electoral process by re-running it in the hope of enforcing some kind of lynching.

I take your point countess. I personally can’t bear Boris, god forbid he gets any political power again. But I think we seem to have reached a dangerous place in society where violence is seen as an acceptable solution (the TRAs with their threats for instance). I don’t think this is an acceptable view and George A is the face of it at the moment. If we want to deter those who advocate violence over debate there need to be consequences. He shouldn’t be sent down or hounded, but he shouldn’t head up the debating society either IMO. Otherwise, what message does this send?

I am eligible to vote in this and I don’t think George Abaraonye deserves to be president but I am really uncomfortable with the whole thing. It feels like the whipping up of a mob which may have people with unsavoury motives behind it. I also don’t feel like it is legitimate for me, having had nothing to do with the Union for 30+ years, to have any say.
I also cringed at the ‘restore respect’ phrasing. The union has always had complete dicks as presidents. Boris Johnson ffs. They can have a leftwing dick for a change instead of a right wing one.

I agree, his dreads are irrelevant. I’d feel the same if he were white. The comments he made were awful and not consistent with heading up an institution which should be about promoting and exploring free speech and debate.

I am attaching the link for the interview where the councillor made the comments about being’born and bred’ in Falkirk.

One of the problems is that she seems to enter a kind of Maoist struggle session with herself once she utters the words and was subsequently jumped on by the reporter who sensed her discomfort.
She was reported to police who did not subsequently charge her but was removed from her role as counsellor.

Yes there are those armchair warriors who never leave the house, that’s true. But I wouldn’t underestimate the power of social contagion spreading through social media resulting in physical action in the real world.

The recent spate of Gen Z protests in Nepal and Morocco arose out of social media campaigns. The Arab Spring likewise was in response to social media campaigns. How do thousands of people come to join the Palestinian protests in the uk? This is why Russia has developed the capacity to cut the internet off and control it domestically should the day come. The power of the medium to incite action in the real world is immense.

@teawamutu you might be right. I was assuming that Oxford Union presidents were all young white affluent males but a quick check shows a diverse group in past years.