Student becomes 'enemy' of China after protesting human rights violations | 60 Minutes Australia

- spy pro-beijing thugs targeted by death threats branded an enemy of the Chinese state all sticking up for human rights it seems inconceivable this could happen right here in Australia especially to a 21 year old student staging his first ever protest but when droop have alluded to hold it gathering in Brisbane that was critical of the communist regime he instantly became the target of a disturbing campaign of violence and intimidation designed to shut him up what's worse rather than support him his own University has demonized him raising serious questions about Chinese money and how deep Beijing's influence goes on a cold winter's night when most other 21 year olds might be at the pub or playing xbox this rally is about saving Hong Kong true Pavlov has organized a rally condemning China's human rights violations we're also speaking out of April Tibet and the wig of people I'm probably a bit crazy in a sense because it's not necessarily like the most normal thing for 21 year old flag to think about do we want the blood to stain our hands do we want to be complicit in those crimes and oppose the Chinese government because I care about the fundamental human dignity the human rights of the Chinese people I believe that Chinese people are entitled to the exact same human rights protections as Australians tonight's peaceful protest is a far cry from Drew's boost foray into political activism last July his protests supporting democracy in Hong Kong was attacked by communist thugs I truly believe that the violence on that day was organized taking drew from humble undergraduate to an enemy of the Chinese state I'm not some mastermind bond double-oh-seven CIA secret operative like you know I'm just an Australian uni student how does this kid from Brisbane so upset the Chinese government that he's denounced in the official Communist Party newspapers I will hire a killer through the deep web and then kill your family he's endured death threats believe me we will find you out don't let us see you on the street we will shoot you and now the University of Queensland stands accused of doing the bidding of Beijing by suspending him Tom started from 60 minutes we just wanted to ask you about why your university has gone so hard on drew Pavley you think it's a witch hunt of course it's a witch on it's a fast from start to finish the university should be upholding these students right to protest not termed trying to expel him I get the sense he loved stirring the pot of course you stir you kick the haunts nest you you you rock things that's what's necessary he's the most prone to it you see fit troupe have Lou knows how to stand his ground I'm not sure that's actually completely not true he's been having stashes just about every night of his life over the family dinner table when you go up in a great Australian household there are very fiery households um it's the Mediterranean blood you're used to some fiery debate yeah yeah exactly you know like I think UQ and the Chinese government still underestimated me because I didn't know that um like I've already been forged in the fires at the pebbly family household and there's nothing that fires drew up more than politics his book case is fascinating because you normally expect some Harry Potter books when it when the kids crying up he's got Bill Clinton's biography John Howard's biography yeah yeah politics history he's loved politics for a long time Nick and Vanessa pav Lou builds a happy suburban life for their family up at the crack of dawn every day for decades running a fruit shop in Brisbane they're not surprised by their sons activism but have no idea who it came from there's one of you like to stir the pot no not at all little love a nice quiet peaceful life not one bit but that peaceful life was shattered forever on July 24 last year angered by China's threats to democracy in Hong Kong drew and a few other students organized a rally at the University of Queensland protests even he concedes was a murder at best I sought a half an hour late to my own protest I didn't have a loudspeaker so I sort of like frantically ran off to try find one then I had to run off to the library to sort of print out like plaque art that said like you know like CCP bad oh I'd never organized a protest in my life ever before Nick was at work when he found out about his son sitting on social media I'm gonna beep on the phone a notification that Drew was there live Facebook stream so it was a big shock and I'm yelling stop what you're doing go home what are you doing that be stupid what had been a peaceful protest was now getting out of hand as all of a sudden drew was surrounded by a group of pro-china counter protesters they sort of converged from different directions there was a guy in a black sweater and he'd grab the megaphone out of my hands and threw it to the ground this is when like another man attacked me he sort of snuck up behind me while my back was turned and um he sort of punch me in the back of the head and then the violence escalated a few of the group's leaders attacking drew and his friends even though I had never been in a fight before I was like oh look like I've got to be tough like you know they're trying to attack me I'd have to stand up for myself so I got up and I like tried to confront and push him back or whatever another man grabbed my person and just ripped it in half and then stomp on it people that attacked you did they look student age or denoted like ring ins they looked they were much older than you know shoot in age and they taken steps to conceal their identity some of these heavies were speaking into earpieces others were wearing masks others were wearing sunglasses and you know these guys weren't students they were like 30s as soon as they attacked us they begun playing Chinese national anthem and they had signs that said Hong Kong is China's and like calling Hong Kong students dogs and stuff like and we realized at this point we were in a lot of danger because they were like 12 13 of us and there are suddenly 200-300 people around us on all sides when police arrived the crowd scattered Drew's mother Vanessa was shocked by how her son's peaceful protest had made him a target for such ugly violence that day when Andrew came home and he was obviously hurt I mean how did you feel seeing that as a mother you don't yeah you don't want that for your child so I think he was just a little bit in shock at how it had escalated so I was sort of comforting him and I think he's trying to shield me a bit so he didn't tell me what was going on I'm happy that he's found his passion and I want him to pursue that and we want to encourage that but it's it's not what we would have chosen but what's perhaps more galling than what happened that day was what happened afterwards was any disciplinary action ever taken by the University of Queensland against anyone that attacked you that day no ultimately you had a month-long investigation and not a single academic was ever able to identify any of these people as being a student of the University sounds a bit like an organized hooch oh yeah I believe I truly believe that the violence on that day was organized but you've got some disciplinary action the only person who has ever been brought up on disciplinary charges it's me why do you think the unis suspended you I think the University of Queensland suspended me because they realized my protests threatened a relationship with the Chinese government that was worth hundreds of millions of dollars every year worth billions or the long term you think it's a which of course it's a witch-hunt it's a farce from start to finish coming out must have been a very naughty boy more questions while that decision was there in the first place astonishing more threats till you your family grab your mother stuff like that as this bruising campus clash implicator we go reaches a climax they have scraped the bottom of the barrel to find that any allegation that's next on 60 minutes Joey good morning a feeling I'm feeling great I'm feeling great troop Ave Lou is relaxed almost light-hearted ahead of a disciplinary hearing at the University of Queensland I'm a great lover of the vitality of youth and that is why I have my milkshakes always I love chocolate milkshake because lots of sugar in it since he's running with pro-china communists thugs last year he's grown in confidence and become a global critic of China's human rights record and the country's ties to his university we want our universities even taking his protest to the streets of New York last year his activism has drawn the ire of Beijing which has denounced him in state backed media it's sort of so that's almost one extent hilarious you know I just an Australian uni student you know my life's not that special drew firmly believes it's because of this activism that the university wants him out he launched an appeal against the decision to suspend him for disciplinary reasons they started an investigation in search of a crime to achieve the desired outcome of expulsion so that the protest activities on campus would cease there are officers towards the top of the university's administration who have decided here's a problem they need to get rid of him and that's why they have scraped the bottom of the barrel to find any allegation by his side is tony morris QC who was so disturbed by the university's case against truth that he's now fighting pro bono on his behalf what is going on at the University of Queensland look they've they've locked themselves into this position where they are totally dependent on Chinese money twenty percent of the income from UQ comes from Chinese students China means everything to the university tooks budget to its continued existence and Queensland Uni is not going to allow anyone to overturn that applecart the University of Queensland's ties to Beijing run deep notably its home to the Confucius Institute which up until this month was funded by the Chinese Communist Party superficially they're just there to teach Chinese language and culture but no one believes that they are there to prosecute China's and propaganda ambitions whatever they happen to be for the time being it would be like Germany's propaganda minister in the 1930s setting up branches of his ministry in the UK and France and the rest of the world just to have people in place to spruik their side of the story the links to China go to the very top of the University of Queensland I look forward to many more productive interactions and mutual benefit in years to come vice-chancellor Peter hoy has previously been a consultant to the Confucius Institutes global headquarters are you comfortable with how close your university is to China no I'm not my view of the Confucius Institutes is that it is part of a Chinese Communist Party foreign influence operation this extraordinary claim is being made by dr. Patrick Jory who taught through history and is now bravely speaking out against his employer the main aim is to tell the China story as a Chinese commerce party would like it told to to the world that's the aim of the Confucius Institute and that doesn't belong in Australian universities I think many people would agree with you how did you feel when you saw those images of the thuggery that was directed towards the protesters who are just trying to stand up for democracy this is the way that the Chinese Communist Party works you look at all around we look at within China look at it in Hong Kong this is how they operate close down any discourse about China that doesn't fit the Chinese Communist Party's story that's what they're about just days after the violence on campus other Beijing loyalists were added again in the dead of night a group was caught by University security guards as it tore down messages of support for democracy in Hong Kong deliver from the one the belligerent later then threatens to call in the Chinese ambassador we don't have free off there in person if you approach honor there's a wall over there you put stuff up you're free to go and do it did you know that a full spot down with you agree or disagree threatening to call him the Chinese ambassador to intervene on campus at an Australian University is disturbing but then again perhaps it's not surprising when you consider the University of Queensland on it China's Consul General in Brisbane with the role of adjunct professor here for many it was a bewildering appointment why would that decision was there in the first place to me is astonishing a consul of a totalitarian dictatorship in your university and everyone knows how these things work you know you have Chinese students in there and meanwhile you have the the Chinese consul general as a visiting professor kind of keeping an eye on things the consul generals influence is of particular concern when it comes to drew Pavlos case the day after Chinese nationalists assaulted drew and his friends the Consul General praised the Patriots and labeled the actions of Jews as anti-china separatist activities being a separatist in China is a crime carrying the threat of imprisonment I thought that the statement by endorsing the behavior of the people who attacked us as patriotic it was you know endorsing violent attacks on myself and others it was almost like a green light for the death threats that followed I fundamentally believe that consul general zu jet should have been expelled by the Australian government for endorsing violent attacks oh my god you look like a [ __ ] your mother should have had an abortion when you were a [ __ ] fetus shame on her initially drew ignored the threats until they went from a trickle to a flood hundreds poured in and they began targeting his parents Nick and Vanessa your mother will be raped until death your father we [ __ ] up like a [ __ ] animal I've said some things about you know harming me and kill you and your family yeah rape your mother stuff like that and stuff you don't want yeah you don't really want unsettling that's the hardest part for me makes me feel really terrible that you know it's brought my family into it and they never wanted that I just want a quiet life and that's probably the thing I'm most ashamed of in my life I think the University of Queensland stands accused of trying to appease China by attempting to kick drew out but management he denies that claim insisting that the disciplinary action against him relates to other allegations of misbehavior in fact the university's so determined to prove that that it brought in a team of external lawyers at huge expense to prosecute the case but some of the allegations seem trivial at best they managed to prepare in a 186 page dossier on all of your indiscretions yes you must have been a very naughty boy yes of course um in particular allegation three in the 186 page document which involved me using a pen in a campus art shop without paying for the pen took some notes put it back on the Shelf yuku claimed it was um it was disrupting the activities of staff on staff and students on campus you went to a shop pick up picked up texture used it put it back on the show yeah and this is one of the reasons they want you kicked out of the university that was that was cited as a level three serious offense for which if I was found to be guilty of I would be expelled the university also alleges Dru breached its student charter by bullying others on social media drew insists he simply gave as good as he got sure I shouldn't have it responded with that vulgar language and I probably went through far but you know I lost it and I really regret I did that because because now because then it just you allow Dooku to use this as ammunition against me no rational human being could think this is a case that warrants expulsion or suspension from the University how will you feel if Drew's appeal is unsuccessful and the punishment is upheld well I think it would send an appalling message to Australian students and to academics that if you speak I don't cha know this is what you can now face it's one thing to say it but how do you actually prove in black and white that it's Chinese dollars that motivate the university there have been protests on the University of Queensland campus against other countries against Israel particularly lots of protests against Israel the university doesn't react in the same way why because they don't get any money from Israel getting money from China is very much riding on the Tigers Beck once you're on you can never get off because you'll you'll get gobbled up coming on a day of reckoning completely totally this accidental activist and pretty low school really changed my life we seek answers why your University one so hard and Republic from the very top is the university tied to Chinese money that's next on 60 minutes true Pablo has been a thorn in Beijing site ever since a protest last year catapulted him into the international spotlight in a surreal development Beijing's mouthpiece Global Times applauded drusus pension from the University of Queensland he's been named personally by the Global Times six seven eight times throughs parents Nick and Vanessa handle their sons newfound status as a target for Beijing with a mix of good humor and unwavering support why do you think he in particular has annoyed them so much there's critics of China everywhere in the world why do you think your son has all of a sudden become a focus for cause it can't be annoying all jokes aside though his parents are protective of their son and know the toll the threats and abuse and taking on him drew puts on a brave face at times what do you see that we don't see he it does get to him the negative you know I mean it gets to he's is a 21 year old kid so it would get to me and I'm you know an adult but when you know people are saying he's racist and things like that I know that really I don't think I really hurt him it's a big day in the Padua household maybe too short please Lord Drewes about to find out if his appeal against a two-year suspension from the University has been successful what do you want I don't know like I probably want to be like fully exonerated because it would demonstrate like from the get-go that it's been a fast sorry - Oh sweetness for the first time in all the time we've spent with you I can hear your voice shaking yeah I know because I try to be very I try and appear very uh you know tough guy but I I honestly am pretty nervous because this will really change my life I don't want to hold you yeah I guess what's happened suspension from the University of Queensland for semester - well and and campus service the news isn't good he's being suspended until next year like such bastards because they're saying oh look we've been proportionate we've reduced sentence but the function of it is still the same I can't be a student on campus next semester so they've achieved all their aims which was you know to silence me as a voice on campus and to stop me from being a campus activist nine of the eleven disciplinary charges against true were thrown out by the Appeals Board only two were upheld one of them related to a satirical stunt where he turned up outside the Vice Chancellors office wearing a hazmat suit and the other two online abuse he's gonna show you up no it's not [ __ ] gonna shut me out I'll never [ __ ] shut up with that might just course on my visors Drury retreats to the backyard and begins spreading the news completely total donation done nothing wrong how much money dear and the unis blown trying to get the lawyers onto you it's a tremendous waste of resources they'd spend hundreds of thousands of dollars and ninety percent of the suffix throw at me couldn't even stick truesdell launched legal action against the University of Queensland and also lodged a formal police complaint against China's Consul General in Brisbane which is being investigated in a statement the university reaffirmed that the disciplinary proceedings against Drew had nothing to do with his political activism but the University vice-chancellor Peter hoi refused our repeated requests for an interview on the matter we just wanted to ask you about why your university has gone so hard on Drupal ooh I have no comment you know it's in front of the courts icon but there are obvious links between your university and China why you made the Consul General of China addressing it I can't talk about this memo you know it's in front of the cause he's not University tied to Chinese money true his lawyer Tony Morris QC isn't giving up the fight either he still sees a bright future for this accidental activist even though he's banned from campus for now what do you think the future holds for drew look the world's is oyster you know whether he becomes Prime Minister or Secretary General of the United Nations he has the full range of choices he's an extraordinary Laird even late at the University doesn't realize that a mum holds a baby in their arms for the first time could you ever have imagined this is where your son's life had lead absolutely not no I would not think that I'd be sitting under these camera lights and I'd be you know talking to 60 minutes about this but it is what it is hmm must be proud we are so for the boy from Brisbane who took on Beijing the next stop could be Canberra you feel like a politician in the making to me ah thank you very much oh that's probably a bad thing it was a compliment or an insult oh well that's the thing even if I went into politics I'd never want to be a politician I just want to always be myself I want to devote my life to you know advancing a better vision of the world advancing a vision for a better society that's what I wanted to vote my life to the Chinese government tried to scare me into like giving up my activism or table why should they care about me they only care because they can't tolerate criticism anywhere even from seemingly like nobody 21 year old Ozzie kids not nobody anymore I saw yeah I guess so well thanks to the Chinese government [Laughter] hello I'm Tara brown thanks for watching to keep up with the latest from 60 minutes Australia make sure you subscribe to our Channel you can also download the 9 now app for full episodes and other exclusive 60 minutes content

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Views: 201,829

Rating: 4.7473373 out of 5

Keywords: 60 Minutes, 60 Minutes Australia, Tom Steinfort, china, drew pavlou, targeted by china, china activist, enemy of the state, hong kong protests, hong kong democracy, human rights violations, ccp, communist party, chinese communist party, death threats, beijing, foreign influence, foreign influence operation, university of queensland, suspended form university, the global times, tibet, free tibet, uyghur people, free hong kong, democracy, violent protest, chinese state, uoq, uq

Id: OyLO9-riykU

Length: 25min 48sec (1548 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 19 2020

Reddit Comments

[u/bluepand4]

Fucking wumao cowards. All they can do is live in other people's country and tell them how much their freedom sucks and how good China is.

[u/baddyvanjoe2k14]

The trial outcome doesn't even matter, CCP has already lost to a 21 year old. Bravo, Drew Pavlou!

[u/pastiehands]

The irony that by trying to shut him down, he's getting more coverage than he ever would