by Lisa McKenzie, spiked
The president-elect’s crass comments offer an alarming insight into Britain’s next generation of rulers.
The president-elect of the Oxford Union, George Abaraonye, has prompted outrage after making comments that appeared to celebrate the murder of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk. On WhatsApp, Abaraonye said, ‘Charlie Kirk got shot, let’s fucking go’. On his Instagram account, another post read: ‘Charlie Kirk got shot loool.’
These posts were widely condemned. And no wonder – Abaraonye had actually met and debated Kirk at the Oxford Union. To respond so callously to his murder reflects very badly on him. But the controversy hasn’t just shed light on this particular president-elect’s lack of decency and moral judgement – it has also focussed attention on the Oxford Union as an institution.
Indeed, since Abaraonye’s posts came to light, there have been questions asked of how the union is run and how he came to be its president-elect. There have even been public demands in national newspapers for his resignation, for his sacking, for new elections. At first sight, all this focus on a debating society might seem odd. But the Oxford Union is not just any debating society. It is also a key institution in the production of Britain’s ruling elites. Its reputation matters.