Footage of police targeting a lone Tibetan protester after he waved the Free Hong Kong flag at Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s motorcade has sparked anger.
The Tibetan sympathizer and a handful of pro-China protesters were held with flags and shouted as Mr Li drove past them in Kings Park in Perth, Western Australia, earlier this week.
Drew Pavlou, a self-described anti-CCP, was filming when a burly police officer threatened to drag the Tibetan protester over the metal barricade.
“Do you want to fly over this fence?” the officer said as he held the man’s torso.
“Listen to me, I’ll pick you up and take you over the fence, or you can stop. Which one do you want to do?
Footage of police targeting a lone Tibetan protester after he waved the Free Hong Kong flag at Prime Minister Li Qiang’s motorcade has sparked outrage online (pictured)
Tensions had reached boiling point a few minutes earlier when pro-China protesters tried to cover the man’s small flag with their larger Chinese flag.
Mr Pavlou accused one of the protesters of elbowing him in the head as he tried to protect the Tibetan sympathizer who was “targeted” by the crowd.
“I tried to help him, but a CCP supporter elbowed me in the face, in full view of a police officer. They didn’t do anything, they just targeted us,” Pavlou said.
‘The police forced us to leave, after which an elderly CCP supporter spat on us.
‘Again, this happened in full view of the police and my footage included the sound of her spitting. Again they did nothing.
“We were the only ones who had to leave and the only ones targeted by the police.”
The Tibetan protester was escorted from Kings Park by WA police officers
Mr Pavlou said he was ordered to receive a second move, banning him from the entire King’s Park area for 24 hours.
“My only crime was filming,” he said.
Many Aussies were critical of the police response in the comments.
‘Typical. “The police forces for the people in Australia are now brutal police forces used against the people and biting the hands that feed them,” one person said.
“I would say the WAPOL police officer was threatening,” wrote a second.
A third said: ‘Why are the police always targeting the lone protester instead of doing their job and ensuring everyone is safe whilst ensuring peaceful freedom of expression?’
In response to the criticism, a WA Police spokesperson said: ‘Protesting is a legal right in Australia.
“Western Australia Police work regularly and agnostically with protesters in an effort to ensure the safety of all involved and other members of the public.
“A WA police officer can issue a warrant on warrant to someone we believe may be likely to breach the peace.”
Tensions between rival protesters escalated at Parliament House on Monday morning
It comes after pro-China protesters stormed the lawn of Parliament House in Canberra and blocked Tibetan activists ahead of Mr Li’s state visit.
Some protesters carried huge flags uniting the Chinese and Australian flags, while Tibetan sympathizers struggled to keep their banners aloft.
At one point, a scuffle broke out when a man fell to the ground and downed a raised loudspeaker as a heavy police presence observed the standoff.
Mr Li declared that ties were “back on track” after “twists and turns” when he arrived this weekend – welcome news for the lobster fishery and the remaining beef producers under restrictions.
Beijing’s second most powerful leader held talks with Anthony Albanese on Monday as part of an annual leaders meeting in the capital, followed by a state lunch with politicians, business representatives and community leaders.
A trip to Western Australia marked the final part of the visit, which comes as some clouds hang over the two countries’ broader relationship, even as many trade restrictions have been lifted.
China imposed sanctions on $20 billion worth of products in 2020 after the former coalition government called for an investigation into the origins of the Covid pandemic.
Mr Li’s visit is the first by a Chinese prime minister to Australia in seven years and comes after a period of turbulence for the country’s largest trading partner.