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Student known as vocal critic of China faces expulsion from Australian university
//An Australian university with close links to China is taking disciplinary action, including possible expulsion, against a student known for his criticism of Beijing, in a case that has triggered a free-speech debate and renewed scrutiny of colleges' reliance on Chinese students.
//The University of Queensland, last week sent philosophy student Drew Pavlou a 186-page dossier detailing 11 allegations against him, including that he failed to pay for a pen at a campus art shop and damaged the university’s reputation by condemning police attacks on student protesters in Hong Kong in November.
//The disciplinary action alleges he ridiculed, satirized and mocked the university’s relationship with China, including posing in a hazmat suit outside the college’s Confucius Institute
//Pavlou, who has criticized China’s repression of its Uighur and Tibetan minorities and supported Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protesters.
//China’s consul general in Brisbane, Xu Jie, who is also an adjunct professor at the university, accused the democracy activists of “anti-China separatist activities” and praised the counterprotesters.
//Pavlou’s activities helped him get elected to the university’s governing senate, giving him an official platform to increase his critiques of what he said were restrictions on free speech out of deference to the communist nation.
//The University of Queensland’s website states that it has “more student mobility, research collaborations, and commercialization partnerships with China than with almost any other country.”
//A university spokeswoman said Pavlou would not be penalized for airing his political beliefs, but the university expected students to comply with policies that reflect its values and community expectations.
//Restrictions set up in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic have crippled Australia’s universities, which rely on full-fee-paying Chinese students.
//“He is responsible for making a lot of powerful people uncomfortable and the powerful need to understand that will occur.”
Full Article: Washington Post, (16-Apr)
#Australia #FreedomOfSpeech #Tibet #SharpPower #Censorship #Beijing #Pavlou #UniversityOfQueensland #Uighur
Student known as vocal critic of China faces expulsion from Australian university
//An Australian university with close links to China is taking disciplinary action, including possible expulsion, against a student known for his criticism of Beijing, in a case that has triggered a free-speech debate and renewed scrutiny of colleges' reliance on Chinese students.
//The University of Queensland, last week sent philosophy student Drew Pavlou a 186-page dossier detailing 11 allegations against him, including that he failed to pay for a pen at a campus art shop and damaged the university’s reputation by condemning police attacks on student protesters in Hong Kong in November.
//The disciplinary action alleges he ridiculed, satirized and mocked the university’s relationship with China, including posing in a hazmat suit outside the college’s Confucius Institute
//Pavlou, who has criticized China’s repression of its Uighur and Tibetan minorities and supported Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protesters.
//China’s consul general in Brisbane, Xu Jie, who is also an adjunct professor at the university, accused the democracy activists of “anti-China separatist activities” and praised the counterprotesters.
//Pavlou’s activities helped him get elected to the university’s governing senate, giving him an official platform to increase his critiques of what he said were restrictions on free speech out of deference to the communist nation.
//The University of Queensland’s website states that it has “more student mobility, research collaborations, and commercialization partnerships with China than with almost any other country.”
//A university spokeswoman said Pavlou would not be penalized for airing his political beliefs, but the university expected students to comply with policies that reflect its values and community expectations.
//Restrictions set up in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic have crippled Australia’s universities, which rely on full-fee-paying Chinese students.
//“He is responsible for making a lot of powerful people uncomfortable and the powerful need to understand that will occur.”
Full Article: Washington Post, (16-Apr)
#Australia #FreedomOfSpeech #Tibet #SharpPower #Censorship #Beijing #Pavlou #UniversityOfQueensland #Uighur