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A University of Queensland student who has been critical of the institution's ties to Chinese Government organisations is set to face a private misconduct hearing in May, which could end in his expulsion.
Student Drew Pavlou told the ABC he has been accused of a number of breaches of university policy, many stemming from his activism on campus against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The University of Queensland (UQ) was the site of ugly clashes between pro-Hong Kong and pro-Beijing students in July last year, during which Mr Pavlou was allegedly assaulted by counter-protesters.
He told the ABC he will plead not guilty to every charge, which the university laid out in a 186-page, confidential document.
"It mixes my activism for Hong Kong, and my criticism of the CCP, with more mundane stuff," he said.
"Like, for example: I used a pen in a shop at campus, and I didn't pay for the pen — I put it back on the shelf.
"I think they've put the dumb, small stuff there alongside it to give cover to the fact that it's really a politically-motivated sort of thing."
More than 20,000 people have signed a petition in support of Mr Pavlou, and a high-profile QC is vying to represent him at the hearing on May 18.
What are the allegations?
The ABC was not able to see a summary of the charges against Mr Pavlou, as all details of the proceedings are confidential.
However, it is understood the disciplinary hearing will consider protests Mr Pavlou participated in on campus, including one where he posed outside the university's Confucius Institute in protective clothing.
Confucius Institutes are Chinese Government-funded education centres, focused on language and culture, which critics say push Chinese propaganda on university campuses.
Queensland University of Technology Student Guild President Olivia Brumm, who has viewed the full document, told the ABC she thought the majority of the 11 allegations of misconduct were "absurdly trivial".
"They're either all related to activism-type things Drew has done in relation to China, or his activism for pro-Hong Kong democracy and things that he's done on campus of that nature, or things related to posts and things in online forums," she said.
Mr Pavlou was involved in a heated exchange with Chinese international students the evening before the violent protests in July last year.
On an event post on Facebook, the international students called Mr Pavlou a "dog", according to a report at the time in the Australian Financial Review.
Mr Pavlou responded twice with the phrase "f*** your ancestors to the 18th generation", which is a highly offensive insult in Mandarin.
He then told the students to meet him outside a cafe on campus: "I'll be the one in the black jumper. We will see who the dog is c***".
It is not known if this exchange was included in the 186-page document the disciplinary proceedings centre on.
"I don't think anything in there should warrant an expulsion from a university in any way, shape or form," Ms Brumm said of the document.
She said the pen allegation did make it into the document, but while Mr Pavlou admits to using a pen from a campus store without paying for it, Ms Brumm said that was not proper grounds for misconduct proceedings.
Mr Pavlou is currently one of two elected student representatives on the UQ Senate, the school's 22-member peak governing body, which also includes Vice Chancellor Peter Høj.
"Drew is a very outspoken and brash and kind of unapologetic person … [he] takes a lot of issue with the things that the university administration does, and the way they conduct themselves," Ms Brumm said.
"I do think that a lot of this report, and especially the way it was compiled, does indicate that there is a vendetta against Drew, that he's been a thorn in the university's side."
What does UQ say?
A UQ spokesperson said "it would not be appropriate" for the university to comment on the specifics of the disciplinary matter.
However, the university denied the proceedings were about Mr Pavlou's political beliefs.
"UQ's disciplinary processes seek to address alleged contraventions of university policy — they do not seek to prevent students from expressing their views or to limit their right to freedom of speech," the spokesperson said.
"The university rejects Mr Pavlou's statement that the university's process is an attempt to penalise him for airing his political beliefs."
In a post on its website, UQ said it had asked Mr Pavlou to stop "purporting to make statements on behalf of the university", something it said was a contravention of UQ's policies.
The post did not elaborate on what those statements were about, or provide examples.
However, Tony Morris QC, who has offered to represent Mr Pavlou on a pro bono basis, said he believed the proceedings were about freedom of speech.
"[Mr Pavlou] feels deeply aggrieved by the situation in Hong Kong, and also by the appalling genocide of Muslim people who the Chinese Government has put into concentration camps, [and] has spoken out about that," he said.
"Universities don't exist to prop-up totalitarian foreign governments."
What are UQ's China links?
UQ's arrangements with Chinese Government organisations have come under scrutiny over the past 12 months, including by the ABC's Four Corners program.
The Chinese Government has co-funded at least four courses offered by the university, including one about China's role in global politics, human rights and counter-terrorism.
A UQ spokeswoman said at the time the Confucius Institute and its academics had not been involved in the design or management of the courses.
UQ Vice Chancellor Peter Høj has previously served as a senior unpaid consultant to Hanban, the Beijing-based body responsible for running China's Confucius Institutes around the world.
Professor Høj was also a member of Hanban's Confucius Institute Council, but resigned from both roles in late 2018.
UQ also appointed China's Consul-General in Brisbane, Xu Jie, as an adjunct professor at the university last year.
Dr Xu sparked a minor diplomatic dispute during the violent protests at UQ, after he praised the "spontaneous patriotic behaviour" of Chinese students, and described the pro-Hong Kong protesters as "anti-China separatists".
Foreign Minister Marise Payne subsequently issued a statement calling on foreign diplomats to avoid "encouraging disruptive or potentially violent behaviour".
In its most recent annual report, UQ said it stood to lose an estimated $100 million to $200 million in revenue due to the Australian Government's coronavirus travel ban.
The measures have prevented many Chinese students from travelling to Australia since February 1, but have since been broadened to include travellers from all countries
The University received $679 million from international student tuition fees in 2019.
Topics: university-and-further-education, education, government-and-politics, world-politics, activism-and-lobbying, australia, qld, china, asia
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