George Abaraonye, the former president-elect of the Oxford Union, apologized to the family of Charlie Kirk over comments he made following the Conservative influencer’s shooting, according to British media reports.
The reported apology came after British newspaper The Telegraph revealed in September that George Abaraonye shared messages that appeared to celebrate the assassination of Kirk at a university event in Utah.
“Charlie Kirk got shot loool,” he was said to have written on Instagram hours after the murder. He also wrote in a WhatsApp group of Union members, “Charlie Kirk got shot, let’s f***ng go.”
A no-confidence vote saw Abaraonye lose his prospective role at the union.
Abaraonye, Kirk debate 'toxic masculinity'
Abaraonye met the Turning Point-USA activist before his death, having debated Kirk on "toxic masculinity" in May at the Oxford Union.
“I had very little context for what I was reacting to, but I wanted to start a conversation… I missed the mark… and that’s why I deleted and retracted my comments. As soon as I saw how serious it was, I went on Instagram to apologise,” he told the Times after the comments came to light.
“I want to offer my apologies and my condolences. No one deserves to lose a husband, no child deserves to grow up without a father," Abaraonye continued. "I hope that they are able, in some capacity, to move on from what was a tragic event, and to that end, I am very sorry.”