Ugly Scenes Erupt at Australia–China Basketball Match After Human Rights Protest

Members of security (in yellow) try to remove protesters from the stadium during the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 qualifying game between Australia and China in Melbourne on June 30, 2022. (William West/AFP via Getty Images)

Ugly scenes have erupted at a World Cup basketball qualifier between Australia and China after a Chinese “nationalist” spectator decided to get personal with a human rights protestor.

Seven protestors—including student activist Drew Pavlou—waved the Tibetan flag, held signs, and shouted “Free Hong Kong” and  “Hong Kong independence” during the game at John Cain Arena in Melbourne.

The match was a FIBA World Cup Asian qualifier headlined by Australian NBA star Matthew Dellavedova.

Members of security (in yellow) try to remove protesters from the stadium during the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 qualifying game between Australia and China in Melbourne on June 30, 2022. (William West/AFP via Getty Images)

Footage from Pavlou’s Twitter account shows one Hong Kong democracy activist, Max Mok, yelling and holding a poster before he is shoved by a Chinese man.

Mok, who was calling for independence for East Turkestan, also known in China as Xinjiang, was also holding a poster calling for the release of Mirzat Taher, an Uyghur political dissident held in prison in China.

Security stepped in, removing Pavlou, Mok, and the other protestors from the game.

“Security didn’t take any action against this violent attacker but they did drag me backwards down a flight of stairs for holding signs supporting Australian political prisoners in China and calling for an end to Uyghur Genocide,” Pavlou claimed in a Twitter post on July 1.

Pavlou has been a vocal critic of the Chinese Communist Party and has held protests at numerous events linked to Beijing.

Just a week earlier, he and several protestors interrupted a speech by the Chinese Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian at the University of Technology Sydney.

“You’re a disgrace,” a protester shouted while accusing the Chinese authorities of genocide against the Uyghur community in the Xinjiang region. “What about freedom of expression.”

Drew Pavlou, pro-democracy Hong Kong activist Max Mok, and Kyinzom Dhongdue from the local Tibetan community held flags and banners in front of the UTS building. (The Epoch Times)

Outside the venue, Pavlou said the Chinese ambassador and university organisers kept tight control over the event and would not allow open dialogue.

“We wouldn’t have been allowed to speak to the Chinese ambassador,” Pavlou previously told The Epoch Times. “He was only accepting the pre-approved questions by people who were only going to politely challenge him in the lightest possible terms.”

In January, Pavlou and Mok, were barred from entering the Australian Open tennis tournament after the walked in wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the words: “Where is Peng Shuai?”

In November 2021, Shuai made headlines after accusing Beijing’s former Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexually assaulting her. She later retracted the statement but only after she “disappeared” from the media spotlight for several weeks.