Anti-Beijing activist Drew Pavlou claims he is being framed for a fake bomb threat that was sent to the Chinese embassy in London.
The 20-year-old Australian native is known for his peaceful demonstrations in support of Tibet, Taiwan and the Uyghurs, a Muslim-majority ethnic minority in China who have been found to be detained in what the Chinese government describes as “education centers.”
Pavlou has shared several videos online, including through TikTok and Twitter, openly criticizing the Chinese government or interacting with Chinese nationals who confront him, either verbally or physically.
The University of Queensland graduate, who is also currently running for Senate, sparked outrage earlier this year when he held a “F*ck Xi Jinping” sign in a Sydney Asian market area.
On June 22, Pavlou posted a video on his Twitter explaining his arrest over the alleged bomb threat.
“I miss my family, I can’t leave the country, they’ve threatened to arrest me at the border,” he says in the video. “I’ve done nothing wrong. I just wanted to peacefully protest, and the Chinese embassy have invented this narrative that I’m a terrorist. It’s insanity.”
He added that he had been detained by the Metropolitan authorities.
“UK Police handcuffed me in stress position and held me incommunicado for 23 hours with no access to lawyers. Facing 7 years in prison. PLEASE SHARE.”
A spokesperson for Australia’s Metropolitan police confirmed that on July 21, staff at the Chinese embassy “alerted police to a bomb threat made by email.”
Sent from the account “[email protected],” the email reportedly said: “This is Drew Pavlou … You have until 12pm to stop the Uyghur genocide or I blow up the embassy with a bomb. Regards, Drew.”
Since then, Pavlou has urged politicians and the Australian government to offer him protection and speak out against his case.
“I’ve been set up with a manufactured bomb threat email,” he wrote on July 27. “If they can do this to me they can do this to anyone.”
In a separate post on Aug. 1, Pavlou added, “Everyone is watching the Chinese government abuse the British legal system to try destroy my life in real time. Why won’t any Australian politician speak for me? Why won’t any British politician speak for me?”
