China activist student in UQ disciplinary scandal
A student activist fighting expulsion from the University of Queensland over a series of pranks and Facebook posts will be represented by a top barrister as a 186-page dossier is prepared for a disciplinary hearing.
QLD News
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A STUDENT activist is fighting expulsion from the University of Queensland over a series of pranks and provocative Facebook posts criticising China.
The UQ disciplinary board will hear a case against third-year arts and philosophy student Drew Pavlou – an undergraduate student representative on the UQ Senate – for allegedly “bullying’’ staff and students.
The alleged breaches of UQ’s integrity policy include dressing in a biosafety suit to visit the office of vice-chancellor Peter Hoj, and using a pen in a university stationery shop.
But Mr Pavlou says he is the one being bullied for his vocal criticism of the university and yesterday a top barrister said he would represent him free of charge to fight for Mr Pavlou’s “fundamental” right to freedom of speech.
A 186-page dossier prepared for UQ’s disciplinary board alleges that one student cancelled enrolment at the university after reading Mr Pavlou’s Facebook post criticising the Chinese government’s crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong last November.
“As a Senator at the University of Queensland, I would like to express on behalf of the university our utmost concern about the humanitarian situation in Hong Kong and condemn the Hong Kong Police Force for its actions on the CUHK campus,’’ the Facebook post stated.
UQ alleges that the post “prejudiced the reputation of the university, which resulted in at least one (1) student withdrawing from a non-award program of study at the university’’.
The university also alleges that Mr Pavlou “harassed, bullied, threatened or abused staff, students or other members of the university community’’ by using his Facebook page in March to demand that the university shut its campuses due to the dangers of COVID-19.
The university has since closed its campuses and switched to online learning.
UQ alleges Mr Pavlou bullied university staff by visiting the Vice-Chancellor’s office, wearing what looked like an orange biosafety suit, and posting a COVID-19 quarantine note on the door.
It also alleges that he “incited students to engage in unruly behaviour’’ by posting an image, with the university logo, on Facebook about “muck up week’.
Another allegation is that Mr Pavlou “disrupted staff, students or others from undertaking their normal activities at the university’’ by using a new black marker to write in a card at the counter of the UQ second-hand book shop, before returning the pen to the shelf for sale.
Mr Pavlou – who was assaulted during violent protests by pro-China demonstrators at UQ last July – yesterday said he felt the university was bullying and “out to get him’’.
“For the last nine months I’ve been the most vocal campus critic of the university’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party ,’’ he said.
“They probably felt the impact of losing Chinese students would outweigh the financial cost of trying to silence me for my activism.
“I don’t think a student at UQ should face consequences for their political activism and exercise of free speech.’’
Prominent Brisbane barrister Tony Morris QC yesterday said he would represent Mr Pavlou at the disciplinary hearing, or in court, for free.
“I see this as a fundamental freedom of speech issue,’’ he said.
“What sort of country would Australia be if students at university feel they can’t discuss their concerns in public for fear the university will come down on them?
“UQ is not a vocational training centre, it is a university for the exchange of ideas.
“If we’re creating the next generation of leaders, they have to be given an opportunity to do silly things – that’s how people learn.’’
A UQ spokeswoman said she could not comment on a confidential disciplinary process.
“UQ is absolutely committed to the principles of academic freedom, freedom of expression and institutional autonomy, and we have robust systems to enable those principles,’’ she said.
Originally published as China activist student in UQ disciplinary scandal