An Australian student denounced his university’s ties to China. Then he became a target

The Los Angeles Times ^ | December 21, 2020 | Shashank Bengali

[KingofZion]

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.

*** Things quickly turned violent. A man in the crowd rushed at Pavlou, snatching his megaphone. A second man shoved him. In the ensuing scuffles, one student from Hong Kong was tackled and grabbed by the throat; another had her shirt ripped open.

*** The next day, Chinese state media named Pavlou as a leader of the protest, and Xu Jie, Beijing’s consul general in Brisbane, praised the “spontaneous patriotic behavior” of those who attacked Pavlou.

It was an unusual statement for a diplomat, especially considering Xu’s other position: an 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.

Pavlou’s July 2019 protest, and its turbulent aftermath, revealed how China’s economic power had translated into influence in Australia, affecting even what was said and taught at leading research universities.

*** The Australian Strategic Policy Institute think tank revealed that a former professor who returned to China had founded a company specializing in surveillance technology.

**MORE

[KingofZion]

Apparently University of Queensland is following LeBron James school of bowing down before Chicom overlords

[Tallguy]

A peaceful demonstration turned into a kung fu movie.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

Sand Pebbles

[BenLurkin]

bttt

[Robert DeLong]

He, Drew Pavlou, had a history of depression and could be abrasive but was beginning to find his political voice as a social democrat influenced by Bernie Sanders and the teachings of his Catholic high school.

[Campion]

It’s going to be very difficult, over the long term, for Australia to avoid becoming a satellite or colony of China. It’s a whole continent with only 25 million people, and China is much closer than Australia’s natural allies, the UK and US.