Loading Mr Pavlou said several Hong Kong students messaged him in the hour leading up to the action, saying they could not attend because they feared for their safety. "It has been really terrifying," he said. The demonstration was scheduled for the day after controversial author Clive Hamilton's night lecture on China's influence in Australian universities. "Hong Kong students had to leave [the lecture] because they realised they were being filmed and this morning students sort of panicked because they realised student services were taking the names and IDs of every single student who attended," Mr Pavlou said.

Men hiding behind trees were seen filming Mr Pavlou as he spoke with media at the down-scaled demonstration outside vice-chancellor Peter Hoj's office on Thursday. The philosophy student said fear was further stoked after a student protester's family received "a midnight knock on the door by Chinese state security" after he attended a demonstration at the university last month. Loading A UQ spokeswoman said the university would work with protestors to "ensure the safety of those involved". "Any suggestion that there would be ramifications from the University for students expressing their views on campus would be ludicrous," she said.

The spokeswoman also said that other "current and former members of the diplomatic corp" had also been appointed as adjunct professors and the practice was "common". "Dr Xu’s nomination as an adjunct professor was supported by UQ’s School of Languages and Cultures, and he was offered the title earlier this month, until the end of December 2021. The University has no plans for Dr Xu to teach. "In light of the changing geo-political situation, UQ is continuing to monitor and amend policies and practices in a reasonable and responsible way." The spokeswoman said the university's future approach to honorary professor and adjunct professor positions would be reviewed at the September meeting of the UQ senate. On July 24, pro-Chinese Communist Party supporters gatecrashed a peaceful protest at the treatment of Uyghur Muslims and Hong Kong citizens.

The sit-in descended into violence, with punches thrown and drinks being poured over the anti-Chinese government activists. Dr Xu subsequently issued a statement praising "the spontaneous patriotic behaviour of Chinese students" at the university in response to "people with ulterior motives [who] conducted anti-Chinese separatist activities". His comments were admonished by Foreign Minister Marise Payne, who said the government expected foreign diplomats to respect the right to freedom of expression in Australia "even on contentious and sensitive issues". A week later, on July 31, about 70 people gathered in UQ's Great Court to demand transparency from the university regarding Chinese government influence over Confucius Institute education centres on campus. Addressing the crowd at the second protest, one student from Hong Kong said she wore a face mask to the protest because she feared being "disappeared" by authorities upon her return home.

- with Toby Crockford and Fergus Hunter