Oxford Union vote SUSPENDED after officer 'intimidated' while counting George Abaraonye no-confidence ballots

Thousands of members of the Oxford Union were eligible to take part in the vote on George Abaraonye, with results expected to be announced on Sunday.

But the outcome of the vote has been put on hold due to "the development of an impossible working atmosphere", according to a notice seen by GB News.

The letter stated that the "Extraordinary Returning Officer was subjected to obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility" by a "number of representatives".

It read: "The decision to suspend at the time was not one made due to the material substance of the election process, but rather on account of present parties actively subtracting from the Extraordinary Returning Officer's efforts to ascertain a result.

"Returning a result is of utmost importance. The Membership have voted in large numbers, and the Oxford Union Society is fundamentally a democratic institution. The voices of the Membership must be heard."

GB News understands Mr Abaraonye, aged 20, has been challenging every proxy vote.

It is also understood that the Oxford Union has "lost" membership registers dating from 1961 to 1980, with a number of life peers and ex-presidents turned away from proceedings.

GB News has contacted Oxford Union for comment.

Mr Abaraonye said in an earlier post on Instagram that he submitted a motion of confidence in himself in an attempt to reclaim "true accountability and (reaffirm) that the Oxford Union must remain a place where students can make mistakes, apologise sincerely, and learn from them".

In another post on Saturday, the incoming president told union members: "Today is your opportunity to affirm Free Speech, to stand against the racism of the Far Right, and to stand up for the principles the Union has championed for 200 years.

"Two centuries later, the same people who claim to believe in the Union are now acting in stark opposition to the Union’s founding principles, by supporting a campaign of harassment, censorship, and abuse. We will not be silenced."

Mr Abaraonye, who became president-elect of the historic debating society after a vote earlier this year, faced controversy after Mr Kirk was shot dead at a Utah Valley University event in September.

The 31-year-old Conservative activist was a Donald Trump ally and co-founder and chief executive of Turning Point USA.

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Mr Abaraonye had appeared to send a celebratory message to a WhatsApp group chat after the news emerged that the father-of-two had been shot.

The leaked messages showed Mr Abaraonye writing: "Charlie Kirk got shot, let’s f****** go".

A separate message read: "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - an elongated version of the "laugh out loud" acronym.

In a statement last month, the Oxford Union condemned his remarks and said complaints filed against Mr Abaraonye had been forwarded for disciplinary proceedings.

Former colleagues of Mr Kirk have vowed to lead a boycott of the society if Mr Abaraonye is not ousted following the confidence vote.

On Friday's episode of The Charlie Kirk Show podcast, the murdered influencer's allies said if the student was not ejected, it would "signal to the world that the Oxford Union has chosen ideology over integrity".

Mikey McCoy, Mr Kirk’s former chief of staff and a senior Turning Point USA official, read an open letter to the Oxford Union on behalf of himself and two of the murdered influencer's closest allies.

The letter accused the prestigious debating society of overseeing a decline in morality, which sees "presidents of the union publicly celebrate the assassination of a political opponent".

It emerged on Saturday that some officials within the Oxford Union fear the comments may have permanently tarnished the reputation of the society.

The letter in full

The letter reads: "The proceedings for the Poll of No Confidence brought in against George Abaraonye (President-Elect, University College) were informally suspended on the early morning of October 20.

"This was not a formal decision taken based on procedural necessity, but rather due to the development of an impossible working atmosphere.

"The Extraordinary Returning Officer was subjected to obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility by a number of Representatives, and on account of this had no choice but to informally suspend the process as co-operation and progress was rendered untenable.

"The decision to suspend at the time was not one made due to the material substance of the election process, but rather on account of present parties actively subtracting from the Extraordinary Returning Officer's efforts to ascertain a result.

"Returning a result is of utmost importance. The Membership have voted in large numbers, and the Oxford Union Society is fundamentally a democratic institution. The voices of the Membership must be heard.

"Therefore, proceedings will resume. The validation of proxy nominations, where unfinished, will continue without Representatives.

"During the count, no Representatives who have been present so far may be allowed to continue. If the campaign for either 'Yes' or 'No' fail to send Representatives, the Extraordinary Returning Officer will appoint a neutral Electoral Official to serve on their behalf.

"Any Member who behaves in an intimidating, aggressive, or otherwise disruptive manner shall be removed from the Count Room with immediate effect.

"It is not unreasonable to expect that Representatives treat Electoral Officials with basic courtesy, and the treatment levied towards them last night — and in particular that directed towards the Extraordinary Returning Officer — is utterly unacceptable."

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