[1] Pavlou's family, who are Greek Cypriots from the Larnaca District of Cyprus, migrated to Australia in the 1960s to open a number of hospitality and retail shops on the Gold Coast in Queensland.

Pavlou responded by alleging Xu Jie was inciting violence and issuing a death threat, a claim which was rejected by the Chinese embassy in Canberra.

Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd criticised Chancellor Peter Varghese's handling of the suspension, claiming the university was overly conciliatory to Beijing.

Pavlou's legal team claimed that they were denied access to confidential university documents that may demonstrate UQ collusion with the Chinese government.

[23][24][21] On 11 June 2020, Pavlou launched a case against the University of Queensland, Chancellor Varghese, and former Vice-Chancellor Høj, seeking damages of A$3.5 million for an alleged breach of contract and defamation.

"[25] In April 2022, after returning from Ukraine where he had been volunteering delivering humanitarian aid,[26] and while running for Australian Senate, Pavlou held a sign protesting against President of China Xi Jinping, near a shopping center at the predominantly Asian suburb of Eastwood in New South Wales.

The sign read "Fuck Xi Jinping" in Chinese, and resulted in bystanders confronting Pavlou, and eventual police intervention.

[27][28][29] On 10 July 2022, Pavlou was thrown out of the 2022 Wimbledon men's singles final for interrupting the match to shout "where is Peng Shuai" in reference to the Chinese tennis player who disappeared after accusing retired Vice Premier of China Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault.

[30] Pavlou claimed that security staff pushed him over a row of seats and down a flight of stairs where he hit his head on a wall while twisting his arms behind his back.

He claimed that during his detainment, he had been treated poorly and had been handcuffed in a stress position; he added that he was forced to sign a document, giving up his right to legal representation and that he was forced to do an interview at 4 a.m.[33][34][35] The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said that they "will raise Mr. Pavlou's claim that he was denied consular access before being released with UK authorities.

[36][35] British journalist and Liberal Democrat candidate Edward Lucas filed a corruption complaint with Metropolitan Police regarding Pavlou's alleged mistreatment and an investigation is underway.

Pavlou had held a handwritten sign in Queen Street Mall reading "Nothing happened on June 4, 1989, change my mind" in reference to the Tiananmen Square massacre, with this form of protest being modelled on an internet meme.

[39] In June 2024, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Pavlou said he had been contacted by three Australian Federal Police officers in August 2023, who told him that he was a suspected target of a foreign interference operation.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Pavlou believed the suspected agents of foreign interference wanted his address for "a nefarious purpose".

[40] Pavlou said he disregarded the police's instructions to remain confidential, and spoke publicly about the investigation because he was frustrated by the absence of any arrests or charges laid, after waiting ten months since he was informed of the probe.

During the incident, he recounted that a person, whom he described as "a baldy guy" and not a student, attempted to push him backward, prompting Pavlou to grasp onto him for stability.

[48] On 14 December 2021, Pavlou released a recording of a telephone call between him and a representative of Bishopp Outdoor Advertising, which owns more than 700 billboards across Queensland.