Footage of police 'targeting' a lone Tibetan protester after he waved a Free Hong Kong flag during Chinese Premier Li Qiang's motorcade has sparked fury.
The Tibetan sympathiser and a handful of pro-China protesters were seen holding flags and shouting while Mr Li drove past them at Kings Park in Perth, Western Australia, earlier this week.
Drew Pavlou, who describes himself as anti-CCP, was filming when a burly police officer threatened to drag the Tibetan protester over the metal barricade.
'Do you want to fly over this fence?' the officer said while gripping the man's torso.
'Listen to me, I'll either pick you up and bring you over the fence or you can stop. Which do you want to do?
Footage of police 'targeting' a lone Tibetan protester after he waved a Free Hong Kong flag during Premier Li Qiang's motorcade has sparked fury online (pictured)
Tensions had hit boiling point just minutes earlier when pro-China protesters tried to cover the man's small flag with their larger Chinese one.
Mr Pavlou accused one of the protesters of elbowing him in the head as he tried to protect the Tibetan sympathiser being 'targeted' by the mob.
'I tried to help him at which point a CCP supporter elbowed me in the face in full view of a police officer. They did nothing - they only targeted us,' Mr Pavlou said.
'Police forced us to leave at which point an elderly CCP supporter spat on us.
'Again, this occurred in full view of the police and my footage includes the sound of her spitting. Again, they did nothing.
'We were the only ones forced to leave and the only ones targeted by police.'
The Tibetan protester was seen being escorted from Kings Park by WA police officers
Mr Pavlou said he was given a second move on order which banned him from the entire King's Park precinct for 24 hours.
'My only crime was filming,' he said.
Many Aussies were critical of the police response in the comments.
'Typical. Police services for the people around Australia are now brutal police forces used against the people, biting the very hands that feed them,' one person said.
'I'd say that WAPOL policeman was threatening,' a second wrote.
A third said: 'Why do police always target the lone protestor rather than doing their job and ensuring everyone is safe while ensuring peaceful freedom of expression?'
In response to the criticism, a WA Police spokesperson said: 'Protesting is a legal right in Australia.
'The Western Australia Police Force regularly and agnostically engages with protesters in an effort to ensure the safety of everyone involved and other members of the public.
'A WA Police officer can issue a move on notice to someone who we believe may breach the peace.'
Tensions between rival demonstrators escalated on Monday morning at Parliament House
It comes after pro-China protesters swarmed the lawn at Parliament House in Canberra and blocked Tibetan activists ahead of Mr Li's state visit.
Some protesters carried huge flags that conjoined the Chinese and Australian flag, as Tibetan sympathisers struggled to hold their banner aloft.
At one stage, a scuffle broke out as a man fell to the floor and brought down a raised speaker as a heavy police presence observed the stand-off.
Mr Li declared that ties were 'back on track' after 'twists and turns' when he arrived at the weekend - welcome news to lobster fisheries and the remaining beef producers under restrictions.
The second-most powerful leader in Beijing held talks with Anthony Albanese on Monday as part of an annual leaders' meeting in the capital, followed by a state lunch with politicians, business representatives and community leaders.
A trip to Western Australia made up the latter part of the visit, which is taking place with some clouds hanging over the two countries' broader relationship even as many trade restrictions have been removed.
China imposed sanctions on $20billion of products in 2020 after the former coalition government called for an inquiry into the origins of the Covid pandemic.
Mr Li's visit is the first by a Chinese premier to Australia in seven years and comes after a period of turbulence for the country's biggest trading partner.
