Oxford University’s vice-chancellor has defended the university’s diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) policy amid a row over a student who hailed activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination last month.
Professor Irene Tracey appeared to reply to a row over George Abarayone, the Oxford Union president-elect, in her annual address.
She said the University has “a commitment to DEI, as we are practising it, goes hand in hand with our commitment to academic freedom and free speech”.
Professor Tracey added that no student should be excluded if they “had the smarts”.
Mr Abarayone was criticised over his posts on social media about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
In the immediate aftermath of Mr Kirk’s killing, the president-elect wrote: “Charlie Kirk got shot, let’s f**king go.”
Another message, believed to be from his Instagram account, read: “Charlie Kirk got shout loool,” an elongated version of the term “laughing out loud”.
Mr Abarayone has since deleted his comments and publicly retracted them.
