Student activist Drew Pavlou walks out on University of Queensland hearing over China protests
Drew Pavlou, facing expulsion from the University of Queensland over his activism criticising Chinese influence, says he’s willing to take his fight all the way to the High Court.
A student activist, facing expulsion from the University of Queensland over his activism criticising Chinese influence on campus, has walked out of a disciplinary hearing at the university.
Drew Pavlou faced a disciplinary hearing Wednesday morning following his protests and social media posts last year criticising UQ’s ties with Chinese government institutions and of the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s record on human rights.
The 20-year-old philosophy student, who organised a campus protest last July in support of the Hong Kong independence movement, attended the hearing with his barrister Tony Morris QC, a well-known advocate of freedom of speech.
After walking out, Mr Morris said the disciplinary panel had denied a request that Mr Pavlou be allowed access to certain internal documents he sought for his defence.
Mr Morris also questioned the integrity of the disciplinary process, saying two of three panellists were paid employees of the university.
Before the hearing, Mr Pavlou said he expected to be expelled from the university and would appeal the case in Brisbane’s Supreme Court and the High Court, if needed.
“I’m confident, it’s Mabo – it’s the vibe,” Mr Pavlou said, quoting the famous line from the Australian movie The Castle about a suburban family who successfully fought the forced resumption of their home in the High Court.
After the hearing, Mr Pavlou said UQ was “demonstrably carrying out a political vendetta against me”.
Breaking: My legal counsel Tony Morris QC and I walked out of UQ’s hearing today as it was stacked against us. They’ve learned well from their masters in Beijing about show trials. I won’t respect their kangaroo court. pic.twitter.com/aax0qvAXR2
— Drew Pavlou (@DrewPavlou) May 20, 2020
“They can try and expel me, I welcome it, good luck to them, we’ll see them in the Supreme Court,” he said.
“This is Kangaroo court, it is Stalinist show trial … following directions from their masters in Beijing, I guess, they have learnt to conduct these type of show hearings.
“We are talking about a majority of the panel deciding my fate, and (who) rely on the university for their livelihoods, they are in salaried positions at the university.”
On Monday, The Australian revealed that Mr Pavlou’s lawyers had received a letter last week from legal firm Clayton Utz, acting for UQ, threatening proceedings for contempt of court.
The documents that are the subject of the alleged contempt, and sought by Mr Pavlou to use in his defence, are at least one internal email that originated in UQ’s media unit.
The email or emails were provided by UQ under subpoena, brought by Mr Pavlou, in a separate court action he took against China’s consul-general in Brisbane Dr Xu Jie after the diplomat issued a statement condemning the protests as “anti-China separatist activities”.
An elected student member of the UQ Senate, Mr Pavlou sought an apology and retraction in Brisbane magistrate’s court from Dr Xu – appointed an adjunct professor by UQ last year – claiming the comments incited death threats against him.
UQ has refused to comment on the disciplinary hearings or specifically the content of emails Mr Pavlou says he intends to use in his fight to avoid expulsion from the campus.
In a statement, a spokeswoman said the legal letter to Mr Pavlou “does not relate to any student disciplinary matters”.
“It relates to documents produced for court proceedings brought by Mr Pavlou, to which UQ is not a party,” the statement said.
More Coverage
TikTok influencer charged with torture, fraud
The Sunshine Coast woman allegedly poisoned her toddler and posted about her illnesses on social media in an effort to attract donations and followers.
Employment surges by 56k as RBA rates call looms
Employment increased by 56,300 people in December, blistering past expectations as Australia’s still-tight jobs market acts as a potential barrier to interest rate cuts.