Chinese students at the Australian National University are protesting with slogans on a "Democracy Wall" on the campus.
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Because of tensions between students who back democracy in Hong Kong and those who back the Beijing regime which is clamping down in the territory, the university has deployed extra security guards.
The university said it was "monitoring this situation and working closely and collaboratively with student groups to ensure a safe and respectful campus environment."
A tunnel on the campus has become a contested site where the two groups compete to get their message out.
There has been no violence but there is tension between the two groups of Chinese students, and that has led to the stationing of the guards.
One pro-democracy activist, law student Yutong Wu, told The Canberra Times that tensions at the ANU had risen as the impact of the violence in Hong Kong spread, particularly with graphic television pictures of thugs, presumed to be in the service of the regime, beating protesters.
In Hong Kong, eight weeks of protests have often turned violent when police turned on activists who believe that Beijing is trying to impose its iron-grip.
The huge protests started when the communist regime wanted to send people accused of crime in Hong Kong to mainland China for trial.
Hong Kong was a British colony for a century and a half before being handed back to China in 1997. Under the terms of the hand-over, Hong Kong citizens were given some measure of freedom.
As freedoms have been eroded, Chinese students in Australia have observed and taken sides.
The Canberra pro-democracy activist said the ANU security guards "were trying to keep the peace" on the campus.
Earlier in the week, there were protests by students at the University of Queensland objecting to deals allegedly done by Australian universities with the communist government in China, deals which the protesters said gave Beijing too much power over students in Australia.
In Canberra, the pro-Beijing group seems to be made up of students from mainland China who have families back there.
Yutong Wu said he didn't think they were stooges of the communist government. It was more that they thought China's honour and reputation was being damaged by the Hong Kong protests.
He conceded that China had made big economic strides but said that human rights there were little better than in Maoist times.
"I don't think that's sustainable. If people's legitimate demands for progress and liberalisation and democracy aren't met then things will definitely escalate and take a more serious turn."
On the Canberra situation, the ANU said: "At the heart of our University, is the principle that we are a place which embraces the spirit of open, honest and respectful debate.
"The University encourages students to express a wide range of views, and we expect them to be expressed in a lawful, peaceful and respectful manner.
"ANU provides students with spaces to post materials. We expect students to respect these spaces and ANU property."