George Abaraonye, the Oxford Union president-elect, is under fire — again — after he apologized to Charlie Kirk’s family for celebrating the Turning Point USA founder’s tragic assassination.
The 20-year-old, who resigned from the historic debate society after facing massive backlash, admitted his comments were “heartless” and that he “missed the mark.” Speaking to The Times, Abaraonye addressed Kirk’s widow, Erika, and their two children:
“No one deserves to lose a husband, no child deserves to grow up without a father. I hope they can, in some capacity, move on from this tragic event, and I am very sorry.”
Abaraonye originally reacted to news of Kirk’s shooting at Utah Valley University on September 10 with shocking messages on WhatsApp and Instagram:
“Charlie Kirk got shot, let’s f–king go.”
“Charlie Kirk got shot loool.”
He later claimed he had “very little context” about the incident and deleted the posts, saying he only intended to “start a conversation” and didn’t realize the seriousness of the situation.
The backlash was swift. Oxford Union members voted him out of the presidency with a no-confidence vote of 1,228 to 501 on Nov. 24. Abaraonye admitted he reacted without nuance, seeing only a headline and failing to “do research or consider the context.”
Ironically, Abaraonye had once debated Kirk in May at Oxford, questioning the activist on topics like the “infantilization of young men” and the impact of culture on masculinity. Wearing casual sweatpants and a T-shirt, Abaraonye challenged Kirk to explain his views, asking whether societal pressures were harming young men’s development.
Kirk, ever composed, replied, “It’s a very good faith question, thank you.” The debate touched on controversial topics including “toxic femininity” and “openness for men to express themselves freely,” showing that even before the controversy, Abaraonye was no stranger to challenging opinions.
Now, with his resignation official, Abaraonye is trying to make amends — but the internet isn’t likely to forget those early, shocking messages anytime soon.
