Ex-Oxford Union president issues stark free speech warning on GB News over George Abaraonye controversy
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A former President of the Oxford Union has hit out at the series of "unedifying scandals" that has gripped the age-old British institution after George Abaraonye was booted out of the top position.
The freshly-ousted President lost his confidence vote at the Oxford Union by a landslide following a huge controversy about his comments on Charlie Kirk.
Speaking to GB News star Martin Daubney, James Price fumed: "It's a pretty unedifying set of scandals this, isn't it? I think the real problem here is the Oxford Union."
He explained that the problem lay with those getting involved in the "wonderful, old, unique British institution".
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Mr Price said Oxford Union was the 'last bastion of free speech'
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Lauding the Union, he added: "It's the last bastion of free speech and a place to teach debating rather than violence."
However, Mr Price took aim at those who wish to "decolonise" the institution, adding: "They get involved with it so they can trash the place so they can "decolonise" it and Mr Abaraonye says in some leaked text messages: 'Oh, I got involved in it because I hate the place.'"
But those wishing to "decolonise" British bodies have infiltrated far more than Oxford Union, Mr Price warned.
"It is endemic of what's happening in institutions right across the country," he told Martin.
"We're getting people like this who think it's funny or think it's politically important to destroy the institutions that people have spent many generations building up."
The saga, which has taken place over weeks ever since conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was shot dead while leading a debate in Utah, has proved the importance of free speech in Britain, the GB News guest added.
"What I think this has shown is how uniquely newsworthy the Oxford Union still can be, but perhaps more how important it is to have these institutions that care about debating," Mr Price said.
He continued: "And that's at the heart of this, I think why people were so angry with this little moron in the first place was because, as you just showed there a few months before Charlie Kirk was assassinated for that heinous crime of debating in good faith against your political opponents, he debated against this guy."
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Quickly mentioning that Mr Kirk "wiped the floor with him", Mr Price sarcastically slammed: "He was gracious enough not to bother clapping when Kirk walked in to wander off and yawn expressively when he lost the debate against Kirk.
"But I think this shows how important it is that we should be able to debate against people, and the Oxford Union should be an example of where we can debate and disagree with each other."
Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Abaraonye claimed his Oxford Union vote of no-confidence was "compromised" and claimed he was "still president-elect" of the prestigious debating society.
The Oxford student, 20, insisted he remains the president-elect despite the overwhelming result of the vote and denied the extraordinary returning officer was "intimidated" during the counting of the ballots.
Mr Kirk and the ousted president debated earlier this year
In a statement, the politics, philosophy and economics student told GB News he does not know "if or how many proxy votes have been tampered with".
The statement read: "This poll was compromised from the moment Moosa Harraj [president of the Oxford Union] and his majority on the Standing Committee brought compromised and untested Poll Regulations.
The 20-year-old was first elected as the next president of the society earlier this year, but his actions sparked controversy after writing: "Charlie Kirk got shot, let's f*****g go," in a WhatsApp chat with fellow students.
He wrote another post on Instagram, reading: "Charlie Kirk got shot loool."
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