Drew Pavlou, anti-CCP senate candidate, fighting public offence charges after Xi Jinping protest

A uni student and senate candidate known for his outlandish protests wants a three-day trial to fight charges of behaving offensively in public.

Drew Pavlou, the failed senate candidate and anti-Chinese Communist Party (CPP) activist, is fighting charges of behaving offensively in public and failing to move on over alleged protests against Chinese president Xi Jinping.

One protest included a sign that allegedly said ‘F**k Xi Jinping’s mother’’ in Mandarin.

It allegedly happened on April 30 in Eastwood - a Sydney suburb with one of the state’s highest proportion of Chinese residents.

Mr Pavlou was charged with behaving offensively in public after a scuffle broke out at a protest in the Eastwood CBD one week later on March 7.

Police arrested Mr Pavlou after he allegedly failed to comply with a move on notice at the same site.

Mr Pavlou appeared in Parramatta Local Court on Wednesday to face the charges, represented by Anthony Morris.

According to the police facts sheet seen by NewsLocal, police informed Mr Pavlou he would be arrested if he did not follow their directions to leave, citing public safety concerns.

Drew Pavlou shared a photo of his arrest to his Twitter page. Picture: twitter.com/drewpavlou

Police allege Mr Pavlou said: “Well, I’m not leaving. You will have to arrest me.”

Shortly afterwards, Mr Pavlou was taken into custody and charged with refuse/fail to comply with direction.

He was bailed on the conditions that he not visit Eastwood or Epping.

Speaking outside the courtroom, Mr Pavlou told NewsLocal the population demographics had nothing to do with his presence in Eastwood and that he was there to support his political party’s candidate for Bennelong, Kyinzom Dhongdue.

“Some people may say, ‘Oh, well Drew chose that spot to target Chinese Australians’,” Mr Pavlou said.

“Nothing could be further from the truth.”

BREAKING: I held up a sign saying “Fuck Xi Jinping” while campaigning in the seat of Bennelong in Sydney with our candidate @KyinzomDhongdue and Chinese ultra-nationalists assaulted me and an independent filmmaker. We are at the police station making statement on assault now pic.twitter.com/G4poznR0gg

— Drew Pavlou (@DrewPavlou) April 30, 2022

Mr Pavlou also disagreed with the translation of the sign.

Drew Pavlou.

It’s not the first time Mr Pavlou’s protests against the Chinese Communist Party have made the news.

He first gained the attention of the media following anti-CCP protests on the campus of the University of Queensland, sparking clashes between pro and anti-CCP demonstrators in 2019.

UQ suspended Mr Pavlou for two years in May of 2020 - this was reduced to six months.

Mr Pavlou is being represented pro-bono by Tony Morris QC, who also represented him in his case against the University of Queensland.

Drew Pavlou (l) with Anthony Morris QC (r) outside Parramatta Local Court on June 8, 2022. Picture: Paul Brescia

Mr Morris said it was a matter of politically protected free speech.

“If in a democratic country, we’re allowed to say of our own Prime Minister, ‘Tony Abbott is a c***’, why can’t we say that about — as Drew says — a ruthless dictator?” Mr Morris said.

“Would it be offensive to say ‘f**k Adolf Hitler?’ Would it be offensive to say ‘f**k Joseph Stalin?’.

“The NSW police are bringing these charges because Drew had the temerity to say it about one particular dictator.”

Supporting Drew Pavlou was Raimond Kelly (centre), who had previously faced charges for an anti-CCP protest in which he cracked a whip outside the Chinese consulate. Tony Morris QC (l) and Drew Pavlou (r). Picture: Paul Brescia

Mr Morris said they were hopeful that police would drop the charges from the Eastwood protest, saying: “We will certainly be asking for our costs thrown away as a result of this matter.”

“And we will be looking into other considerations such as malicious prosecution or wrongful arrest,” he said.

In court, Magistrate Peter Feather allocated the three days requested by Mr Morris for a trial.

“The prosecutor will take a good look, and they might decide not to follow through,” Mr Feather said.

The case was adjourned for four weeks to Parramatta Local Court and it is listed to be heard on July 6.