An Australian student says he is facing possible expulsion from his university over his criticism of the Chinese government and his university’s strong ties to the country. Drew Pavlou, a sophomore at the University of Queensland in Australia, is faced with the possibility of expulsion after he protested outside the university’s Confucius Institute in a hazmat suit in March.

Pavlou has consistently been a voice against the university’s involvement with China, citing the country’s human rights violations.

The university claims that Pavlou, who characterized the school's Confucius Institute as a “biohazard,” caused harm to its reputation.

UQ boasts on its website that "UQ has more student mobility, research collaborations, and commercialization partnerships with China than with almost any other country."


A student activist, known for criticising UQ's ties to the Chinese Government, has walked out of an expulsion hearing after one hour. Three complaints were made against Drew Pavlou. He claims the uni won't reveal the full extent of the charges.

In an April 30 Twitter thread, Pavlou accused the university of “dirty tactics” involving recruiting a pro-Chinese Communist Party student government candidate to run against him.

“Out of frustration with UQ's bullying tactics and their utter hostility to dialogue or discussion, I took to mocking the UQ Confucius Institute online. I posted a satirical Facebook event: ''UQ Confucius Institute Panel - Why Uyghurs Must Be Exterminated,” wrote Pavlou.

“The satirical nature of this event was clear to any reasonable observer. It was a satirical jab, pointing out the fact that the UQ Confucius Institute is fundamentally an arm of the same state pursuing genocide against Uyghur Muslims,” he continued.
https://www.campusreform.org/?ID=14897