International students held off attending a protest at a Queensland university against China-funded education worried they may be identified, an organiser says.
The protest against agreements reportedly signed by Australian universities that back Beijing's authority over teaching at Chinese government-funded education centres went off without confrontation.Last week, a protest at the St Lucia campus in support of democracy in Hong Kong, which turned violent after pro-Chinese demonstrators attended, gained international media coverage.
Student organiser Ji Davis, for Transparency 4 UQ, says about 70 people were involved in the protest but more than 500 registered their interest online. "Some of my friends have said to me, 'I'm really supportive of your cause, but I'm afraid to even like the comments on posts just because I don't want to be put on a list'," Mr Davis told AAP.Mr Davis said supporters instead stood back in the crowd which had gathered to watch the protest at a commemorative plaque for the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.