The former Oxford Union president-elect has said he “received threats of violence” after making comments that appeared to celebrate the death of Charlie Kirk.
George Abaraonye lost a vote of no confidence following criticism over comments he made on social media following the shooting of the American conservative activist.
Abaraonye, who became president-elect of the historic debating society after a vote earlier this year, told LBC he accepted “fair criticism”.
However, he said it had been a “very difficult time” as he, his family and friends had “received threats of violence”.
On Saturday, Abaraonye told the Times that he wanted to apologize directly to Kirk’s family and was “very sorry” for his comments.
Later, speaking to LBC, Abaraonye said: “We can also be fair in calling out what has also been a lot of racist and classist vitriol based on the fact that I am a black person, the fact that I am a student at Oxford – we can be deliberate in separating the two things.
“I received threats of violence. My family and friends did too, and it was a very difficult time, not only for me, but also to realize that my mistake has not only impacted my life, but could also impact the lives of other people and even affect broader communities around me.”
After losing the no-confidence motion in the Oxford Union in October, Abaraonye said the poll was “compromised” by “untested” regulations.
He also claimed that people campaigning to overthrow him had “unsupervised access” to the email account that was collecting proxy votes.
The Oxford Union has denied claims that the survey was compromised.
