The Honorary Secretary of the Oxford Literary and Debating Union Trust (OLDUT) has resigned in protest following comments from the Oxford Union’s incoming president.
The resignation came after President-elect George Abaraonye allegedly cheered the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
Resignation in Protest
James Price, the outgoing Honorary Secretary, said he could no longer serve while the Union’s leadership glorified political violence.
James Price
In a letter, he accused Abaraonye of psychopathic behavior and warned that the Oxford Union was being “weaponized” against free speech.
Price also cited safety concerns for his own family, noting his wife feared violence after Abaraonye’s rhetoric.
He argued the Union was no longer dealing with isolated scandals but with leaders deliberately undermining its values.
“These people 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,” Price wrote.
Controversial Remarks
Abaraonye posted on Telegram after Kirk’s death: “Charlie Kirk got shot, let’s f***ing go.”
George Abaraonye
Price said the comments revealed a fundamental shift in the Union’s culture.
“This cannot be business as usual,” he wrote. “This is existential.”
Union Response
The Oxford Union issued a statement condemning Abaraonye’s remarks.
“The Oxford Union would like to unequivocally condemn the reported words and sentiments expressed by the President-Elect,” the statement.
It stressed that his comments did not reflect the views of the current leadership under President Moosa Harraj.
Oxford University confirmed it would not take disciplinary action against Abaraonye.
Officials said his remarks, while “abhorrent,” did not violate university free speech policies.
That decision drew sharp criticism online, with commentators calling the university’s response “cowardly.”
Political Reaction
The controversy sparked criticism from across the political spectrum.
Lord Moylan, a Conservative peer and former Oxford Union president, called on Abaraonye to resign immediately.
Others shared past footage of Abaraonye promoting political violence in speeches.
Connection to Kirk
Abaraonye debated Charlie Kirk at the Oxford Union just months earlier, during a discussion on “toxic masculinity.”
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Observers noted the irony of his later celebrating Kirk’s death after sharing the stage with him.
The controversy has deepened outrage over what many see as the erosion of free expression within elite academic institutions.
