Afghanistan war veterans say they’re collateral damage from the criminal prosecution of decorated war hero Ben Roberts-Smith.
Several gathered yesterday to to protest the manner of Mr Roberts-Smith’s high-profile arrest and the drawn out probe into allegations against him.
“It is not just Ben Roberts-Smith who has been dragged through the dirt here, it is every soldier who fought in a war the Australian public does not understand,” said former commando Peter Richards.
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Mr Richards, spokesman for Queensland veterans’ charity SMEAC, said the actions of the past week risked alienating “a generation of warriors.”
Other veterans have made similar comments, expressing concern that the prosecution, on top of the 2016 Brereton Report, could see Afghanistan vets shunned and stigmatised in the same way Vietnam War veterans were treated when they returned to Australia.
Former SAS corporal Ben Roberts-Smith in action in Afghanistan: Inset: Mr Roberts-Smith’s arrest at Sydney Airport. Credit: SUPPLIED/Supplied by News Corp Australia
Other vets who belong to SMEAC , including former SAS soldiers, were joined at the gathering by Pauline Hanson who earlier attacked the Federal Police over what she described as the “theatrical” arrest at Sydney Airport on Tuesday.
He was subsequently charged with five counts of the war crime of murder. He remains in custody, with a bail review hearing set for 17 April.
“I’m disgusted with the way it was performed,” Ms Hanson said at the meeting at Landsborough on the Sunshine Coast.
The One Nation leader said she had spoken to Roberts-Smith and his parents, who told her it did not have to happen that way – on a plane in front of his children.
She also questioned why it had taken so many years to decide on the prosecution.
“I haven’t worn his shoes. I don’t know what happened over there,” she said.
“But I know we train our men and women to go into battle, to fight for their lives and defend others.”
The West Australian earlier revealed the Victoria Cross recipient had made multiple previous offers to hand himself into the AFP if they intended to charge him with war crimes.
A source close to the former Special Air Service Regiment corporal said his lawyers had offered in writing to make him available to authorities “at any place, at any time” to be arrested.
Former Australian soldier Ben Roberts Smith arrested over alleged war crimes unknown Credit: unknown/AFP
The West also spoke to AFP insiders who were perplexed that their organisation arranged for a videographer to record the dramatic arrest and then distribute the vision to news organisations.
“There was no reason to film that arrest apart from grandstanding, it’s not like it is crucial evidence,” one long-serving AFP investigator told The West, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of fear of professional retribution.
Former commando Heston Russell also criticised the AFP’s highly-public arrest.
“I’m just disgusted by that as an Australian citizen and it really makes me wonder: what is the motive here, why are we pushing for drama?” Mr Russell said.
Former Labor defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon said he was concerned about the profound impact on the Australian veterans community.
He said he “wouldn’t be surprised if at some point we see community rallies based around this cause”.
Former prime minister John Howard said Mr Roberts-Smith’s arrest would “tug at the heartstrings of millions of Australians”.
It hasn’t all been criticism.
The Australian Federal Police Association commended the “professionalism, dedication, and resilience” of investigators involved in the “complex” and “high stakes” war crimes investigation.
“This work demands patience, analytical expertise, and an unwavering commitment to due process,” AFPA president Alex Caruana said.
“It also has a punishing effect on members physically and psychologically, and this must be recognised,” he said. “The investigators have demonstrated professionalism at every stage, managing complex information under intense scrutiny while upholding the highest legal and ethical standards,” he added.
The criminal case, which will mean the Victoria Cross recipient has to be judged “beyond reasonable doubt”, will again pit him against former colleagues from the elite special forces unit who have accused him of executing a prisoner and ordering the executions of others during Australia’s longest war.
Mr Roberts-Smith has maintained his innocence on the charges, which relate to a three-year period of fighting in Afghanistan.
The first two charges relate to the April 2009 storming of the Whiskey 108 compound in Kakarak, Afghanistan, where he allegedly shot one man with a prosthetic leg, and ordered a junior soldier to shoot another.
The third relates to an incident in Darwan in September 2012, when he allegedly kicked a handcuffed shepherd off a cliff and ordered another soldier to shoot him.
The final two charges relate to an incident at Syachow in October 2012, when he allegedly shot one detainee and ordered a rookie known as Person 66 to shoot another.
