Drew Pavlou, holding the megaphone, is attacked by Chinese Communist Party supporters, July 24, 2019.
The next day, Chinese state media named Pavlou as a leader of the protest. Xu Jie, Beijing’s consul general in Brisbane, praised the “spontaneous patriotic behavior” of those who had attacked him.
It was an unusual statement for a diplomat, especially considering Xu’s other position: adjunct professor at the university’s School of Languages and Cultures. His dual roles were an example of the increasingly close ties between Australian universities and China, their biggest source of international students.
The university didn’t chastise Xu for promoting violence. Instead, it defended its relationship with Beijing and turned on one of its brightest students.
FAIRFIELD-SUISUN, CALIFORNIA
An Australian student denounced his university’s ties to China. Then he became a target [Los Angeles Times]
Before the text messages threatening to kill his family, Drew Pavlou gathered a small group of students on a busy walkway at the University of Queensland to protest the Chinese government’s repression of Uighur Muslims and crackdown on Hong Kong.
“Hey-hey, ho-ho Xi Jinping has got to go!”
As he denounced the Communist leader, hundreds of counter-demonstrators massed around a colonnade at the campus in Brisbane, Australia. Some were students from China; others appeared older. They yelled pro-Beijing slogans and played the Chinese national anthem over loudspeakers.