"Yesterday, our student association officially expressed our dissatisfaction to the University about this incident that humiliates Chinese people and called on the University to create a clean and pure learning environment," said a statement by the University of Tasmania Chinese Students and Scholars Association. While the post did not explicitly state the group had asked the university to remove pro-Hong Kong materials, it is strongly implied. The association, which operates at universities across Australia, claimed the materials contained exaggerated and false claims, and discriminated against and insulted Chinese students. Some branches of the association have previously been linked to the Chinese consulate. The statement said the association "firmly defends the 'one country two systems, Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong' unification policy. We firmly oppose any activity that aims to split China."

Loading A spokesman for the University of Tasmania said, “The university has made it clear the removal of other students’ material is not appropriate. “We are closely monitoring the situation and will work to safeguard future displays. “We are in contact with student groups and organisations and are encouraging everyone to

approach the issue with respect for other members of the community, and respect for the

university’s values." At Melbourne's Monash University, organisers of a mobile "Lennon Wall" – a colourful noticeboard where pro-Hong Kong protesters put Post-it notes expressing their opinions anonymously – say students speaking Mandarin got up close to try to film their faces with the aim of finding out their identities.

"One got a camera to record our faces. Some of us were pulling up the [Lennon Wall] boards to try and hide our faces. The second student tried to pull down the boards and show our faces," one organiser said. "One of us tried to stop him and tried to get him away from us, and he just tried to grab the student and hit his back very hard. He said one participant of the protest had made a police report after she was recognised and tracked down on social media where she had been insulted and had received calls from unknown numbers. But he said their main concern was for mainland Chinese students who participated in the demonstration. "There are some Chinese students on our side and now they are trying to find out who they are and find their addresses in China. We are so concerned about their safety, we are worried when they go back to China something will happen."

At the University of Sydney, students set up a Lennon Wall under the cover of darkness to avoid being identified. "When we we were making the wall we we were doing it at night, wearing masks, because we were scared," one student involved said. It was torn down by students speaking Mandarin and caught on video. Fear of repercussions kept them from holding more public demonstrations.

"A lot of people I know are quite against it [holding a protest], they're very cautious, out of fear mainly." For Hong Kong students like himself, a key concern with being identified was that it could affect their future. "The thing we're worried about is inevitably we'll be working in China and with China later and having our identities identified would disadvantage us." A similar Lennon Wall was torn down at night at the University of Queensland. Meanwhile, at Australian National University, it was reported two Chinese students stood in front of a part of the Lennon Wall, preventing others from sticking notes to it. On Wednesday, The Age and Sydney Morning Herald revealed Chinese authorities had approached the family of an international student who participated in high-profile protests at an Australian university and warned his parents of the potential consequences of political dissent.