A "stoked" Anti-Chinese Communist Party activist Drew Pavlou has described a "great win for democracy" after senior Australian Federal Police officials came to his house on Friday morning to apologise for asking him last month to leave a public area of Parliament House.
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Mr Pavlou said it was the first apology from "the bureaucracy" after four years of high profile protesting which has antagonised Chinese authorities and led to him being detained by the Metropolitan Police in London.
The AFP has released a statement saying an internal review of Mr Pavlou's removal by AFP officers at Parliament's public Queen's Terrace cafe on November 23 found there were "insufficient reasonable grounds" to ask him to leave.
Mr Pavlou said he is thrilled as it is a first for him.
"They had no reason to see me as a threat that day. And I think that's an amazing step. It's great win for democracy, I think. And I think it's also a great step for me personally in trying to clear my name," he told The Canberra Times.
"They're really kind and respectful. And basically, they said we're offering you full apology, we try and make sure that we're as transparent as possible, and we're trying to make sure that when we make mistakes, we own up to it and we make sure that we're better in the future.
"I'm actually very, very stoked and over the moon in fact, because it's kind of like, proof that I'm not this crazy, violent, insane guy."
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The prominent critic of human rights abuse in China was with a friend when he was approached on November 23 by AFP officers at Parliament's public Queen's Terrace cafe. He was waiting for scheduled meetings with MPs and was told he was considered "high risk" of protesting.
The AFP statement said the internal review found that AFP protective services officers acted "professionally and in good faith", but there were "insufficient reasonable grounds" to ask Mr Pavlou to leave the building.
He said he was bewildered when he was asked to leave and said the apology is vindication.
"That is the first time I've got this kind of confirmation that Drew's not this unhinged lunatic," he said.
"I was literally doing nothing and I was removed without cause. And so yeah it's the first time I've ever seen a bureaucracy be transparent and accountable in dealings with me."
Mr Pavlou claims his anti-Chinese Communist Party activism has led to him being the victim of a six month fake email campaign to discredit him, including a fake bomb threat which lead to him being arrested and detained in London.