The Oxford Union president-elect has admitted ‘celebrating’ the deadly shooting of Charlie Kirk because he wanted to ‘get a laugh’ out of it.
George Abaraonye, 20, sparked widespread fury when he appeared to applaud the shooting of Mr Kirk in September, in what US authorities have branded a political assassination.
The PPE student at University College, Oxford, wrote in a WhatsApp group of Union members: ‘Charlie Kirk got shot, let’s f****** go’, and posted a similar message on Instagram.
The comments came just months after Abaraonye sat opposite Kirk, one of the most prominent pro-Trump voices in American politics during a heated Oxford Union debate.
Mr Abaraonye later deleted the message and has since claimed he did not realise the US influencer had died when he posted it.
But now the Oxford student, who was last month ousted from his position as head of the Union, has admitted he was looking to ‘get a laugh’ by ‘celebrating’ the shooting.
He also appeared to try and shift the blame, claiming his reaction was merely ‘a symptom of how we have discourse online’.
The 20-year-old told LBC: ‘It was a stupid and silly thing for me to say. I reacted to a notification and a headline.
George Abaraonye, 20, sparked widespread fury when he appeared to applaud the deadly shooting of the Mr Kirk in September
The Oxford student, who was last month ousted from his position as head of the Union, has admitted he was looking to ‘get a laugh’ by ‘celebrating’ the shooting
‘I had no real context of what had happened. I didn’t really understand the severity of the situation.’
Pressed on why he celebrated the shooting of someone he had met, he added: ‘Mr Kirk’s comments don’t exist in a vacuum.
‘He was an incredibly polarising figure and him and my reaction are sort of a symptom of how we have discourse online of which is often at times very reactive, it’s at times about saying something inflammatory.’
He added: ‘[It was] almost because I wanted to spark a conversation about what had happened. The fact that oh my God this is such a major event that’s just taken place.
‘I wanted to get a reaction to have a conversation.’
Asked if he wanted to get a laugh out it, he replied: ‘Exactly, almost a laugh and a reaction and I realized after that that wasn’t the right way to go about it.’
Mr Abaraonye also said that he accepted ‘fair criticism’ of his comments and said he has received threats of violence as a result of them.
The student was last month ousted from his position as head of the historic debating society after more than 1,000 members voted against him.
But he claimed the vote had been ‘compromised’ by insecure handling of the proxy votes – which the Oxford Union denies.
Earlier this week, the Union’s disciplinary committee said it was ‘not satisfied’ that the vote was ‘unsafe’, and therefore there would be no re-count or re-poll.
Mr Abaraonye, 20, posted this ‘celebratory’ message on WhatsApp following the deadly shooting
Farcically, it is understood Mr Abaraonye is still able to appeal against this decision one more time – and will remain in post until he decides his next step.
He told Times Radio that while some of Mr Kirk’s rhetoric perpetuated ‘harmful stereotypes towards black people,’ this made it even more vital to engage him in open, public forums.
He added: ‘I disagreed with him. I thought his views were harmful. But he did not deserve to die. No one deserves to be a victim of political violence because of the opinions they hold.’
He also reported AI-generated videos attacking him personally.
His college has since introduced support measures after what he described as a breakdown, warning he did not want to be attacked by racists online.
A working-class student who grew up on free school meals – he said representation in elite institutions remains crucial – and fears backlash could deter other black students from participating in Oxford life.
The Oxford Union is a 200-year-old debating society for Oxford students and alumni which is independent from university management.
Following the no-confidence vote last month, Lord Biggar, Tory peer and Emeritus Professor of Theology at Oxford, said that Mr Abaraonye’s original post about the shooting ‘displayed a horrifically casual attitude to political violence that is completely inimical to a liberal institution such as the Oxford Union.’
He added: ‘That he is now fighting tooth and nail to save his own skin, no matter what the cost to the reputation of the institution he is supposed to serve, only underscores his ill fitness for the presidency.’
