The president-elect of the Oxford Union has said he received “threats of violence” after comments he made celebrating the death of Charlie Kirk.
George Abaraouni loses a no-confidence vote after being criticized for comments he made on social media following the shooting death of a US conservative activist.
Mr Abraoni, who became president-elect of the historical debating society following a vote earlier this year, told LBC he accepted “fair criticism”.
However, he said it was a “very difficult time” as he, his family and his friends “had received threats of violence”.
On Saturday, Mr Abaraouni told The Times he wanted to apologize directly to Mr Kirk’s family and was “deeply sorry” for his comments.
Later, speaking to LBC, Mr Abraoni said: “We can also be impartial in highlighting racist and classist vitriol by virtue of the fact that I am a black man, by virtue of 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 received threats, my friends received threats and it was a very difficult time, not only for me, but to realize that my mistake had not only affected my life, but could affect other people’s lives and the broader communities around me.”
After losing a no-confidence vote in the Oxford Union in October, Mr Abaraouni said the vote was “compromised” because of “untested” rules.
He also claimed that people campaigning for his removal had “unexpected access” to the email account collecting proxy votes.
The Oxford Union has denied claims that the survey was compromised.
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