Australian University Sets Expulsion Hearing Date For Student Critical of China's Communist Party

An Australian student threatened with expulsion after he was highly critical of Beijing has been warned that he could also be removed from the University of Queensland (UQ)'s student senate later this month, as the university authorities set a date for his expulsion hearing.

"It is almost certain there will be an attempt to remove me from the UQ Senate on May 13th," UQ student Drew Pavlou said via his Twitter account. "I was elected by a majority of students on a platform supporting Hong Kong and opposing the Confucius Institute."

Pavlou said that if he is removed, a candidate supportive of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) would likely replace him.

Meanwhile, a Change.org petition in Pavlou's support had garnered more than 25,000 signatures by 2.00 p.m. GMT on Tuesday.

Pavlou said via Facebook that he also faces an expulsion hearing via video link on May 20.

Ali Amin, National Welfare Officer of the National Union of Students (Australia), tweeted: "This is some of the worst attacks on political organizing and freedom of speech I’ve ever seen from a university and sends a dangerous signal to the student union movement."

"If what they’ve alleged ... is expulsion worthy then the majority of the student union movement would be facing expulsion hearings," Amin said.

The university is taking disciplinary action against Pavlou, 20, for harming its reputation, engaging in intimidating and disrespectful conduct, and disrupting the running of the university, among other charges.

Pavlou -- who suffers from depression -- faces 11 allegations of misconduct, including activities that the authorities say breached its integrity and harassment policies and the student charter.

The authorities have presented as "evidence" of his alleged misconduct social media comments he made regarding the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, in which he claimed to be speaking "on behalf of the university" following his election as student representative to the university senate.

Physically attacked

Pavlou has also reported being physically attacked by Chinese Communist Party supporters during a campus brawl at UQ sparked by Chinese students' opposition to a Hong Kong protest-related activity.

According to UQ, Pavlou also allegedly placed a sign on the UQ Confucius Institute -- a cultural organization embedded in campuses around the world and directly staffed and controlled by the Chinese government -- in March, declaring it was a "biohazard" amid the...

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