The former president of the Oxford Union, George Abaraonye, recently attempted to explain a deeply controversial online post following reports of an incident involving Charlie Kirk.
Immediately after news surfaced of the event at Utah Valley University in September, Abaraonye publicly posted a message celebrating the news with a jarringly casual phrase: “Let’s fucking go.” The reaction ignited a firestorm of criticism.
In a subsequent interview with LBC radio, Abaraonye characterized his statement as a thoughtless reaction to a notification, claiming he lacked full understanding of the situation’s gravity. He insisted it was a “stupid and silly thing” to say.
Pressed on his personal acquaintance with Kirk, Abaraonye shifted focus, attributing the incident to Kirk’s divisive political stance. He described Kirk as a “polarizing figure” and suggested his own response mirrored the inflammatory nature of online discourse.
Abaraonye claimed his intention wasn’t malicious, but rather to provoke discussion and gauge the reaction to such a significant event. He stated he “wanted to get a reaction, [and] wanted to have a conversation.”
The interviewer, Lewis Goodall, pointedly suggested the post was intended as a joke. Abaraonye conceded, admitting he sought “a laugh and a bit of a reaction,” but acknowledged it was “not the right way to go about it” in retrospect.
Last month, Abaraonye faced a vote of no-confidence and was removed from his position as president of the Oxford Union. The fallout from his online comment was central to the decision.
During the campaign to retain his position, Abaraonye positioned himself as a defender of free speech and an opponent of the far-right. He urged supporters to “stand against the racism of the Far Right” and uphold the Union’s historical principles.
He argued that those seeking his removal were betraying the Union’s core values through “harassment, censorship, and abuse.” Despite his impassioned plea, the vote resulted in a decisive two-thirds majority in favor of his removal.
