Bob Katter says ADF veterans ‘betrayed’ after Ben Roberts-Smith arrest
Queensland MP Bob Katter claimed Australian veterans felt “betrayed” after one of his constituents demanded war medals be sent back to Canberra following the arrest of former SAS soldier Ben Roberts-Smith.
Mr Roberts-Smith was arrested at Sydney Airport on Tuesday.
He was charged with five counts of murder, a war crime, for the deaths of Afghan citizens between 2009 and 2012 while he was stationed in Afghanistan.
His arrest followed a joint investigation between the Special Investigations Bureau and the Australian Federal Police.
Police will allege Mr Roberts-Smith deliberately caused the deaths of two people and aided and abetted others to deliberately cause the death of one person on three other occasions.
On Wednesday, Mr Katter posted on social media a copy of a letter written by one of his constituents demanding their service medals be returned to Canberra.
“Bob, give my medals back to Canberra. I don’t want them anymore after seeing how they treat veterans,” the letter said.
Medals included the Australian Active Service Medal, Defense Force Service Medal, International Force East Timor Medal, National Medal and Australian Defense Medal.
It was not clear whether the letter had been signed.
Mr Katter’s social media post read: “I would like to thank all of our veterans who feel betrayed by the events of recent days, including one of my Kennedy constituents who asked me to return his medals to Canberra on my next visit.” “Pro Patria et Diem (For One’s Country),” he wrote.
Previously, Anthony Albanese told Sky News when asked about the military scandal that he was grateful for the Australian Defense Force’s contribution to keeping the nation safe.
“Every day we must thank the men and women who wear our uniform, who are prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our nation to advance our Australian way of life,” he said.
“That’s not changing. There’s a reason you look toward the War Memorial when you enter this building from my office.”
“And with this in mind, the great planners of this great National Capital in which we stand today have ensured that the forward-looking vision of people like (Australian War Memorial founder Charles Bean) has been realized. And we express our gratitude to the men and women every day.”
He added that it was a “difficult time” for many in the ADF.
“And people in the Defense Forces see themselves as part of a wider family. I certainly understand that that is the case, but it is important in legal processes that this is not politicized. And I have no intention of commenting on what the legal process is,” he said.
Mr Roberts-Smith’s arrest comes more than two years after Federal Court Judge Anthony Besanko found the Victoria Cross recipient was involved in the murders of four unarmed men.
The decision was made during Mr Robert-Smith’s libel lawsuit against The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Canberra Times newspapers over a series of investigative reports into alleged war crimes.
He maintained his innocence throughout the trial.
