Footage of police “targeting” a lone Tibetan protester after he waved a free Hong Kong flag during Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s motorcade has sparked fury.
The Tibetan sympathizer and a handful of pro-China protesters were seen holding flags and shouting as Li walked past them in Kings Park in Perth, Western Australia, earlier this week.
Drew Pavlou, who describes himself as 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 grabbed the man’s torso.
Listen to me, or I will pick you up and carry you over the fence or you can stop. Which one do you want to do?
Footage of police ‘attacking’ a lone Tibetan protester after he waved a Free Hong Kong flag during Premier Li Qiang’s motorcade has sparked fury online (pictured)
Tensions had reached a boiling point just minutes earlier, when pro-China protesters attempted to cover the man’s small flag with their larger Chinese flag.
Pavlou accused one of the protesters of elbowing him in the head while trying to protect the Tibetan sympathizer who was being “targeted” by the mob.
‘I tried to help him and at that moment a CCP supporter elbowed me in the face in full view of a police officer. “They didn’t do anything, they just attacked us,” Pavlou said.
‘The police forced us to leave, at which point an elderly PCC supporter spat at us.
‘Once again, this occurred in full view of the police and my footage includes the sound of her spitting. Again they did nothing.
“We were the only ones forced to leave and the only ones attacked by the police.”
The Tibetan protester was seen being escorted from Kings Park by WA Police officers.
Pavlou said he was given a second measure by order banning him from the entire King’s Park grounds for 24 hours.
“My only crime was filming,” he said.
Many Australians criticized the police response in the comments.
‘Typical. “Police services for the people of Australia are now brutal police forces used against the people, biting the very hands that feed them,” one person said.
“I’d say the WAPOL cop was threatening,” wrote a second.
A third said: “Why do the police always attack the lone protester instead of doing their job and ensuring everyone is safe while ensuring freedom of peaceful expression?”
Responding to the criticism, a WA Police spokesperson said: ‘Protesting is a legal right in Australia.
‘Western Australia Police engages 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 may issue a movement notice to someone who we believe may cause a breach of the peace.”
Tensions between rival protesters rose Monday morning in Parliament.
It comes after pro-China protesters invaded the Parliament lawn in Canberra and blocked Tibetan activists ahead of Li’s state visit.
Some protesters carried huge flags combining the Chinese and Australian flags, while Tibetan supporters struggled to keep their banner up.
At one point, a fight broke out when a man fell to the ground and knocked over a raised speaker while a heavy police presence watched the confrontation.
Mr Li declared relations were “back on track” after “twists and turns” when the weekend arrived – good news for lobster fisheries and beef producers still 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 formed the final part of the visit, which is taking place with some clouds hanging over the broader relationship between the two countries, even as many trade restrictions have been removed.
China imposed sanctions on $20 billion worth of goods in 2020 after the previous coalition government called for an investigation into the origins of the Covid pandemic.
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.