POLICE have arrested two people who were circulating an anti-LNP petition on a university campus, in an action described as "insane" by fellow activists.

Student and activist Kat Henderson said she witnessed the arrest this morning, in which police handcuffed protestors at the Queensland University of Technology Kelvin Grove campus and took them away in a police van after they refused to identify themselves to security and leave campus voluntarily.

The man and the woman were campaigning as part of the final day of the QUT student guild elections, which have been marred by allegations of bullying, intimidation and corruption.

Ms Henderson said the pair, who were not university students, were involved in a stall promoting an upcoming demonstration and asking students to sign a petition against the State government cuts to the public service.

"I'm just in shock," Ms Henderson said.

"I've never witnessed anything whereby people have been removed from campus for peacefully promoting a demonstration of any kind."

Ms Henderson said initially security approached the two and asked them for identification.

When the pair refused, the security guards asked them to leave, then called police when they did not.

"When they refused to leave because they felt they had a right, as did all of us, that there's freedom of speech on campus and this was ludicrous, the police put handcuffs on them and put them in the back of the paddy wagon," Ms Henderson said.

Ms Henderson said the arrest "completely undermines" the notion of freedom of speech on campus.

"They were not causing any harm to anybody, and yet they're placed forcefully under arrest and dragged off campus for simply being here petitioning," she said.

"It just strikes me as such hypocrisy, given universities are supposed to be places of freedom of speech and spaces where open debate is welcomed."

QUT security manager Fergus Ross confirmed the arrests.

Mr Ross said a complaint was made from a campaigning student about intimidation at the hands of an activist circling the petition.

"As the person had not acquired prior approval to petition students, as per QUT policy, QUT security asked that person to identify himself," he said.

"After repeated refusals QUT staff, as per policy, asked him to leave, which again was refused."

He said staff then rang police, who attended the campus and arrested two people.

A police spokesperson said a 26-year-old Coopers Plains man was charged with one count of trespass, while a 29-year-old Alderley woman was charged with obstructing police during the incident.

Both are due to appear at Brisbane Magistrates Court on October 4.

A QUT spokeswoman said the man arrested today was already known to security, and had been banned from university grounds following an incident involving another student at the Gardens Point campus earlier in the week.

Police are also investigating an alleged assault at the Kelvin Grove campus that took place yesterday.



Originally published as Anti-LNP activists arrested at university